adjective
-
(of people or animals) slender but strong in constitution
-
made of or resembling wire, esp in stiffness
wiry hair
-
(of a sound) produced by or as if by a vibrating wire
Other Word Forms
- wirily adverb
- wiriness noun
Etymology
Origin of wiry
Explanation
You can describe someone who's fairly thin and athletic as wiry. While a linebacker on a football team is typically big and broad, a marathon runner is more likely to be wiry. The adjective wiry can be used in two different ways: first, to mean "lean and strong," like a wiry seven year-old gymnast. The second meaning is "resembling wire." You could describe your thick, impossibly curly hair as wiry, or the crazy coat of your terrier as wiry. In the late 1500s the word wiry meant "made of wire."
Vocabulary lists containing wiry
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Hatchet
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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.
In these paintings, figures are defined by wiry contours and modeled with lean pigments in saturated hues.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
In his 70s now, wiry with sharp eyes, Yoo speaks hesitantly at first - but it comes back to him quickly.
From BBC • Jul. 15, 2025
Gretzky had scored at a devastating clip for an absurdly long time—20 NHL seasons that saw him turn from a wiry 18-year-old into the league’s elder statesman.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2025
As we get to know the movie’s wiry, chaotic young protagonist, engagingly portrayed by first-time actor Faveau, we expect he’ll get a life education the hard way, as these stories usually offer up.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2025
She took Edna’s hand between her strong wiry fingers, holding it loosely without warmth, and executing a sort of double theme upon the back and palm.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
