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Which modern English word shares an Old English ancestor with the word wry?

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wry

American  

[rahy] / raɪ /

adjective

wrier, wriest

1. bitterly or disdainfully ironic or amusing.

   a wry remark.

2. produced by a distortion or lopsidedness of the facial features.

   a wry grin.

3. abnormally bent or turned to one side; contorted; crooked.

   a wry mouth.

   Synonyms:

   askew, awry

   Antonyms:

   straight

4. devious in course or purpose; misdirected.

5. contrary; perverse.

6. distorted or perverted, as in meaning.

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wry British  

/ raɪ /

adjective

1. twisted, contorted, or askew

2. (of a facial expression) produced or characterized by contorting of the features, usually indicating dislike

3. drily humorous; sardonic

4. warped, misdirected, or perverse

5. (of words, thoughts, etc) unsuitable or wrong

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verb

1. (tr) to twist or contort

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

• wryness
  noun
• wryly
  adverb

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wry wrier wriest

The Tiny Tim needledrops, an in-universe parody of Adam West’s Batman, the irony of its main character finding fulfillment as a fry cook — it all pointed toward Gen X’s wry, detached view of culture.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

She implemented wry wit like a tactical defense, a trusty tool in her arsenal that could disarm an opponent and defuse tricky conversations.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

"I've learned how to do everything with one leg, except to be able to use a wheelbarrow," said Williams with a wry smile.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Though his wife and I had been in the same women’s book group, I’d known Eric only through the wry gripes we’d all made about our husbands.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Or a wry “Not too bad,” with a face indicating that it had not been pleasant.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry

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 William John Locke

"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 Arthur William Brown

Related Words

• droll
• ironic
• mocking
• sardonic
• warped