wry

[rahy]

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.

wry

/ 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

verb

1. (tr) to twist or contort

Other Word Forms

• wryly adverb
• wryness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wry¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of wry¹

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

Example Sentences

“You have to confront your own feelings about motherhood, my own feelings about becoming a parent and Linda’s dreadful choices,” she says, laughing, her wry tone slipping in as it often does.

From Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, a giant flag says "No room" on one side and "for violence" on the other - a wry reference to the hypocrisy the artist feels can be present in politicians' words.

From BBC

Only the dark shades he sports and a wry half-smile hint at the performer to come.

From Los Angeles Times

The most significant missing piece is the prevalent wry humor that leavened “Mare” in its darkest moments.

From Salon

Such was the luck of the bounce of the ball, or lack of, head coach Bemand was left with a wry smile on his face.

From BBC

Related Words

• droll 
• ironic 
• mocking 
• sardonic 
• warped 

When To Use

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.