wryly

[rahy-lee]

adverb

1. in a mockingly or amusingly ironic way.

   It will be an evening of wryly thoughtful musing, whimsical conversation, and a few old-timey songs.

2. in a bitter or scornful way; sardonically.

   The writer wryly adds that he has complete faith in humanity's ability to wake up at the alarm and promptly hit the snooze button.

3. in a distorted, bent, or lopsided manner.

   His lips twisted wryly at the acknowledgment.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wryly¹

wry ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Host Rece Davis wryly added that of the two schools, Virginia Tech was the one that knew what needed to be done.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"What I do know is 'sack the board' usually means 'sack the manager'. It's normally the manager that goes when that starts to be sung," Rodgers said wryly.

Read more on BBC

Brooks wryly widens the time gap between meeting and mess to force us to reassess notions about power and desire in relationships fed to the viewer by similar films.

Read more on Salon

And to his credit, Aster’s film is wryly perceptive, unflinching in the way it lampoons both the right and the left, the maskless and the socially distanced.

Read more on Salon

On the sci-fi implications of that, he wryly observes: "In my profession, there is a fine line between science fiction and philosophy".

Read more on BBC