wiry

American  

[wahyuhr-ee] / ˈwaɪər i /

adjective

wirier, wiriest

1. made of wire.

2. in the form of wire.

3. resembling wire, as in form, stiffness, etc..

   wiry grass.

4. lean and sinew.

   a wiry little person.

5. produced by or resembling the sound of a vibrating wire.

   wiry tones.

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wiry British  

/ ˈwaɪərɪ /

adjective

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

2. made of or resembling wire, esp in stiffness

   wiry hair

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

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Other Word Forms

• wirily adverb
• wiriness noun

Etymology

Origin of wiry

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

Example Sentences

Miss Allen was known as “a maiden lady, sharp and wiry, with a grain of wit which could not tolerate nonsense.”

From Literature

He had a habit of pulling at the lobe of his right ear, rubbing his nose, or digging at the wiry whiskers on his chin.

From Literature

“All right!” a short enthusiastic man with wiry hair called as he dashed halfway up a stairway behind the registration table.

From Literature

My arms and legs had grown skinnier, wirier than ever before, but my stomach was rounding out and bloating, like Baby Joe’s and some of the other boys’.

From Literature

In these paintings, figures are defined by wiry contours and modeled with lean pigments in saturated hues.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• agile
• athletic
• limber
• muscular
• sinewy
• strapping
• supple