spry

[ sprahy ]

See synonyms for: spry spryness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,spry·er, spry·est or spri·er, spri·est.

active; nimble; agile; energetic; brisk.

Origin of spry

First recorded in 1740–50; origin uncertain

Other words from spry

spryly, adverb
spryness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spry in a sentence

Certainly a half-dozen leaped spryly off their horses and in an instant had confined the escaping fire.
The Rules of the Game | Stewart Edward White
The next morning Rusty Wren helped his wife so spryly that long before midday the house-cleaning was finished.
The Tale of Rusty Wren | Arthur Scott Bailey
She jumped up spryly when the cars stopped at the steps, and smiled invitingly.
Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks | Lillian Elizabeth Roy
So Mr. Frog leaped spryly into the brook and struck out downstream.
The Tale of Ferdinand Frog | Arthur Scott Bailey
Upon my releasing him from his incubus of gold dust, he stepped rather spryly for a time.
The Adventures of Two Alabama Boys | H. J. Crumpton and Washington Bryan Crumpton

British Dictionary definitions for spry

spry

/ (spraɪ) /

adjectivespryer, spryest, sprier or spriest

active and brisk; nimble

Origin of spry

C18: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect spragg sprig

Derived forms of spry

spryly, adverb
spryness, 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

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