spry
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- spryly adverb
- spryness noun
Etymology
Origin of spry
First recorded in 1740–50; origin uncertain
Explanation
If you are an old lady, remaining spry is something you aspire to. It means "nimble." You might also use it to describe a goat that jumps easily along from mountain crag to mountain crag. The most common use of spry is to describe people who are aging. You might say that at 92, your great grandmother is still spry and sharp as a tack. Spry refers to her physical well-being; "sharp as a tack" to her mental faculties.
Vocabulary lists containing spry
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He’s remarkably spry for his age and, unlike his character in “The Christophers,” goes out regularly, often to the theater.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
"My ancestors have always remained spry, both mentally and physically, and all remained very active right into their old age," she says.
From BBC • Oct. 21, 2025
“I named him the Visa God,” said Gopalakrishna, a spry 81-year-old who still works at the temple.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 15, 2025
As the multigenerational strands connect, Diaz’s spry narrative voice remains a constant, a propulsive mix of English, Spanish and Spanglish, an urban bouillabaisse of flavor and purpose.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025
The nominalization rule takes a perfectly spry verb and embalms it into a lifeless noun by adding a suffix like -ance, -ment, -ation, or -ing.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
