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wriest

[ rahy-ist ]
/ ˈraɪ ɪst /

adjective

superlative of wry.

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Words nearby wriest

wretch, wretched, wrexham, wrick, wrier, wriest, wriggle, wriggler, wrigglework, wriggly, wright

Definition for wriest (2 of 2)

wry
[ rahy ]
/ raɪ /

adjective, wri·er, wri·est.

produced by a distortion or lopsidedness of the facial features: a wry grin.
abnormally bent or turned to one side; twisted; crooked: a wry mouth.
devious in course or purpose; misdirected.
contrary; perverse.
distorted or perverted, as in meaning.
bitterly or disdainfully ironic or amusing: a wry remark.

Origin of wry

1515–25; adj. use of wry to twist, Middle English wryen, Old English wrīgian to go, strive, tend, swerve; cognate with Dutch wrijgen to twist; akin to Old English wrigels, Latin rīcula veil, Greek rhoikós crooked

SYNONYMS FOR wry

2 awry, askew.

ANTONYMS FOR wry

2 straight.

OTHER WORDS FROM wry

wry·ly, adverbwry·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to wriest

droll, sardonic, ironic, mocking, warped, askew, awry, crooked, cynical, deformed, dry, twisted, uneven, aslant, contorted

Example sentences from the Web for wriest

  • I confronted death with a smile; I meet life with the wriest of wry faces.

    Simon the Jester|William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for wriest (1 of 2)

wriest

wryest

/ (ˈraɪɪst) /

adjective

the superlative of wry

British Dictionary definitions for wriest (2 of 2)

wry
/ (raɪ) /

adjective wrier, wriest, wryer or wryest

twisted, contorted, or askew
(of a facial expression) produced or characterized by contorting of the features, usually indicating dislike
drily humorous; sardonic
warped, misdirected, or perverse
(of words, thoughts, etc) unsuitable or wrong

verb wries, wrying or wried

(tr) to twist or contort

Derived forms of wry

wryly, adverbwryness, noun

Word Origin for wry

C16: from dialect wry to twist, from Old English wrīgian to turn; related to Old Frisian wrīgia to bend, Old Norse riga to move, Middle Low German wrīch bent, stubborn
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