WRY Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

wry

adjective

Definition of wry

as in sarcastic

marked by the use of clever and often dark humor The writer had a wry wit that was something of an acquired taste.

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of wry Fortunately, Dusse lightens the lawyer’s spiral into his mobster client’s dark underworld with wry humor and pointed skewering of both the wellness industry and the criminal legal profession. — The Know, Denver Post, 5 July 2026 Co-created by Seinfeld and Larry David, the sitcom was a massive hit in the ’90s thanks to its wry dissection of social norms, and the talents of costars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026 Chocolate brings it home with a punch line—a wry observation to end the story with a laugh. — Joseph Trinidad, Longreads, 16 June 2026 Wright is a highly engaging writer with a wry wit, and The God Test is a pleasure to read. — Air Mail, 13 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for wry

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wry

Adjective

The pilot is charming and funny, immediately drawing me into the dynamic of its two characters — Romy is a bit more gregarious and sarcastic, Bobby more sensitive and sullen.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
Obviously, Dawkins is being very sarcastic here, but that’s the type of relationship these two share.

— Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of sarcastic

Adjective

The confrontation between father and daughter, in which Taylor-Joy unloads Lucky’s resentments about growing up in the life, is one of the season’s most barbed moments.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 July 2026
But his view of Adrian’s methods, goals, and way of life end up making the bond of mentorship both tenuous and barbed.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 July 2026

Definition of barbed

Adjective

Tentpoles with integrity will be especially important as generative AI makes the industry’s appetite for replicable content more cynical by the day.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 July 2026
In its portrayal of cross-gender relations, the series is consistently cruel to women, insulting to men, empathetic toward nobody and cynical about everything.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026

Definition of cynical

Adjective

The pacing is more frenetic, the narration more biting, the flashbacks more jarring, and the comedowns much harsher.

— Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
Described as a biting political thriller in the tradition of Wild in the Streets and V for Vendetta, The Hunted is set in a dystopian America where trans people are brutalized and erased to the margins of society.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 June 2026

Definition of biting

Adjective

Yet Fehrenbach drew that lesson from the Korean War—an especially ironic example, given that ground forces did not achieve a conclusive political outcome there.

— David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Although the work was a critical favorite and a Pulitzer finalist, Eggers’s ironic tone struck some readers as overly precious—few books have inspired such devotion and exasperation in equal measure.

— Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026

Definition of ironic

Adjective

Source for add-on acquisitions comprising 75%+ of total buyout activity and PE dry powder figures.

— Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
The fabric also has a spill-resistant treatment that keeps liquid on the surface long enough to blot with a dry cloth.

— Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026