wried; wrying
: to pull out of or as if out of proper shape : make awry
1
: bent, twisted, or turned usually abnormally to one side
a wry nose
2
: made by a deliberate distortion of the facial muscles often to express irony or mockery
a wry smile
4
: cleverly and often ironically or grimly humorous
a wry wit
wryness
noun
Examples of wry in a Sentence
Adjective
His books are noted for their wry humor.
When I asked her how she felt after winning the race, she gave me a wry smile and said, “Pretty tired.”
Recent Examples on the Web
James Horncastle, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
In the video, Lynch also incorporated some wry fourth-wall break deadpans to the camera, capturing the essence of her feelings.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
Drawing inspiration from the wry honesty of Nora Ephron, Carrie Fisher and Erica Jong, Messy marks Wasser’s feature directorial debut.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
The animation styles, varying from episode to episode, are all dynamic and gorgeous, paying homage to both a classic anime style and Star Wars' own more wry feeling.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wry
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
After Erling Haaland scored his 50th Champions League goal a fortnight ago, a wry tweet went viral.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
In the video, Lynch also incorporated some wry fourth-wall break deadpans to the camera, capturing the essence of her feelings.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
Drawing inspiration from the wry honesty of Nora Ephron, Carrie Fisher and Erica Jong, Messy marks Wasser’s feature directorial debut.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
The animation styles, varying from episode to episode, are all dynamic and gorgeous, paying homage to both a classic anime style and Star Wars' own more wry feeling.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wry
Cite this Entry
“Wry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wry. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share