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 The festival has stoked best actor consideration for John Malkovich, whose wry turn in Wild Horse Nine has garnered abundant attention. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 6 Sep. 2026 Elaine May cut her teeth as an improvisational comedian alongside Mike Nichols before finding her wickedly sharp, wry writer’s voice and knack for directing in her debut film, A New Leaf (1971). — Air Mail, 5 Sep. 2026 Hardy’s prose brims with assurance and wry details that come from lived experiences and conversations. — Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The wry, winking tone still legible in its pages was an early iteration of the urbane magazine voice that powered nineteenth-century publications such as Judge and Puck, as well as later ones like The New Yorker, New York, Spy, and Gawker. — Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wry

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wry

Adjective

The interest has been driven largely by the brand's casual, sarcastic tone and active participation in online trends.

— Megan Sauer, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Before the constant stream of sarcastic Ultron commentary wears out its welcome around the series’ halfway point, the bad guy’s brevity is a nice counterpoint to all of the sentient ennui.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of sarcastic

Adjective

Though the Scandi brand was selling at a brisk pace to her online customers, Stover knew the economics weren’t going to work for the long term if every reorder was saddled with that kind of extra cost.

— Jessica Binns, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026
The final product is a rousing, brisk, and genuinely inspiring biopic that never feels like homework.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of brisk

Adjective

Attorneys for the country music icon’s estate claimed Seaver covered his front porch in barbed wire and yellow caution tape, thus delaying the formal delivery of the suit.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 6 Oct. 2026
Their long, barbed tongues can easily wind into ant and termite homes, licking up the bugs inside.

— Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of barbed

Adjective

In the tradition of Warhol’s Factory, the outsourcing became the provocation itself—the era’s most cynical embodiment of art-as-commodity.

— Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
The administration’s hostility to the principle and mechanisms of international legal accountability makes eminent if cynical sense in light of its many transgressions.

— Anjali Dayal, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of cynical

Adjective

Her version is louder and more biting, but never at the sacrifice of the track’s spirit.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
In 2022, Lee County’s Mosquito Control District decided to try aiming radiation at mosquitoes instead, specifically the biting, disease-carrying kind — Aedes aegypti.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of biting

Adjective

Her works are playful and often ironic, relentlessly experimental and not only genre-bending but form-bending, including Nox (New Directions, 2010), a box containing an accordioned elegy to her estranged brother after his death.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Game 3 was their most sound, but in ironic fashion, the Rays used the long ball to take home a 4-3 victory and advance to the American League Championship Series.

— Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of ironic

Adjective

Recently, the sector has been affected by El Nino, which brings weak monsoons and dry weather, reducing yields and sucrose recovery.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
My complexion tends to be dry in some areas and oily in others, so striking the balance between glow and grease can be tricky.

— Lucy Partington, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2026