Link Centre Dictionary

wry

UK/ɹaɪ/ US/ˈraɪ/ uncommon obsolete

adjective

1.

humorously sarcastic or mocking

  • “dry humor”
  • “an ironic remark often conveys an intended meaning obliquely”
  • “an ironic novel”
  • “an ironical smile”
  • “with a wry Scottish wit”
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2.

bent to one side

  • “a wry neck”
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3.

disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking

  • “his rebellion is the bitter, sardonic laughter of all great satirists” Frank Schoenberner
  • “a wry pleasure to be...reminded of all that one is missing” Irwin Edman
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Origin

From Middle English wrien, from Old English wrīġian (“to go, turn, twist, bend, strive, struggle, press forward, endeavor, venture”), from Proto-Germanic *wrigōną (“to wriggle”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyḱ- (“to turn, wrap, tie”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”). Compare awry, wriggle.

Phrases

  • go awry
  • wry-billed plover

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.