wiry

[ wahyuhr-ee ]
See synonyms for wiry on Thesaurus.com
adjective,wir·i·er, wir·i·est.
  1. made of wire.

  2. in the form of wire.

  1. resembling wire, as in form, stiffness, etc.: wiry grass.

  2. lean and sinew: a wiry little person.

  3. produced by or resembling the sound of a vibrating wire: wiry tones.

Origin of wiry

1
First recorded in 1580–90; wire + -y1

Other words from wiry

  • wir·i·ly, adverb
  • wir·i·ness, noun

Words Nearby wiry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use wiry in a sentence

  • He was wiry, crisp, and clean and lean, his mind as sharp as ever.

  • Models came down the runway in head pieces fashioned into twisted, wiry wigs in subtle winter colors.

  • The old gentleman was heavy and Gwynne sound and wiry in spite of his delicate appearance.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • His predecessors had to deal with Perry Thomas, and in spite of his gentle ways and intellectual cast, Perry is active and wiry.

  • He was of frugal and temperate habits, a wiry man at the height of his physical powers, with lean flanks and a deep chest.

    Uncanny Tales | Various
  • Chumru laid aside the garment and tickled his wiry hair underneath his turban.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy
  • His forehead was not very high, but broad and open; his hair dark and wiry, for which reason he kept it cut short.

    Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange Kielland

British Dictionary definitions for wiry

wiry

/ (ˈwaɪərɪ) /


adjectivewirier or wiriest
  1. (of people or animals) slender but strong in constitution

  2. made of or resembling wire, esp in stiffness: wiry hair

  1. (of a sound) produced by or as if by a vibrating wire

Derived forms of wiry

  • wirily, adverb
  • wiriness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012