wry
Americanadjective
-
bitterly or disdainfully ironic or amusing.
a wry remark.
-
produced by a distortion or lopsidedness of the facial features.
a wry grin.
-
abnormally bent or turned to one side; contorted; crooked.
a wry mouth.
- Antonyms:
- straight
-
devious in course or purpose; misdirected.
-
distorted or perverted, as in meaning.
adjective
-
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
Usage
What does wry mean? Wry commonly means humorous in a way that’s very “dry,” irreverent, ironic, sarcastic, or sardonic. The sense of word is especially used in the terms wry humor and wry wit. This sense of wry is a figurative extension of its literal sense, which means crooked, lopsided, contorted, or distorted. It can also mean contrary or perverse. A wry smile and a wry expression are probably both somewhat contorted and intended to indicate a sense of irony or sarcasm. You might give a wry smile after telling a particularly wry joke (the kind of joke that’s so dry that it’s hard to tell whether it’s a joke). The related word awry can be used as an adverb form of wry or as an adjective meaning wrong in some way (amiss) or slanted or twisted (askew). Example: It takes a while to get used to her wry sense of humor, but she’s not as cynical as she sounds.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wry
First recorded in 1515–25; adjective use of obsolete verb 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”
Explanation
A wry sense of humor is a sarcastic one. You were late for work, stepped into a mud puddle, and you forgot your lunch. If your co-worker asks how your morning is going, you can reply with a wry tone, "Perfectly perfect." The original use for the adjective wry was to describe something that was bent or twisted, so a sprained ankle could be described as "a wry ankle." Today, the word wry is often used to describe less tangible twists. Wry humor and wry wit both describe a sense of humor that is a little twisted from the norm.
Vocabulary lists containing wry
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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List 8
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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.
See Examples For:
The fifth instalment of Toy Story has received mixed reviews from critics, who have describe it as being "a warm and wry update" to an otherwise now "played out" franchise.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Bessent walked to the podium with a wry smile.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
For his part, Anderson possessed a wry sense of humor and wasn’t above poking fun at himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
That battle of wills set the tone for a surprisingly combative hearing, which also featured some wry probing of a mysterious secret mission Mullin supposedly went on a decade ago.
From Slate ● Mar. 21, 2026
A smile tugged at the corners of Koffi’s lips, wry but not unkind.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
The wrier is president of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2023
Associated Press wrier Sophia Bollag contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 7, 2018
These idiosyncratic artworks, which displayed a wrier side of his personality, were not seen by the public until after Geisel’s death in 1991.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2018
There is no heir apparent to Ms. Winfrey; while Ellen DeGeneres is beloved, her tone is wrier.
From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2010
“In it, a lord asks a lady if she’ll love him, and she replies ambiguously: ‘I cannot hate.’” wriest McInnis.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 6, 2016
I confronted death with a smile; I meet life with the wriest of wry faces.
From Simon the Jester by Locke, William John
"That's a perfectly good wish plumb wasted," said Penfield, refilling both glasses, his features twisted in the wriest of grimaces.
From The Day of Days An Extravaganza by Brown, Arthur William
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.
