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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Recent Examples of wry
There’s no shortage of young women making confessional, wry pop music these days, but Hobert has carved out her own lane with a bookish persona and shrewdly specific lyrics bound in tidy and broadly appealing pop songs.
—
Carrie Battan, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
The actor brought his wry comic timing to another signature role in Party Down (2009–2023) and had guest roles on everything from 2 Broke Girls (2012–2017), Night Court (2024–2025), and Nobody Wants This with his Veronica Mars costar Bell (2025) .
—Sezin Koehler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
One needed to simply see the wry smile on Palczewski’s face to know this was a strange vote.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2026
Even as his Reddit-haunting admirers still parse his lyrics for hidden meanings, his spirit surely looks down on them with wry amusement at his fans’ unending search for profundity.
—Alexander Larman, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wry
Carrie Battan, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
The actor brought his wry comic timing to another signature role in Party Down (2009–2023) and had guest roles on everything from 2 Broke Girls (2012–2017), Night Court (2024–2025), and Nobody Wants This with his Veronica Mars costar Bell (2025) .
—Sezin Koehler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
One needed to simply see the wry smile on Palczewski’s face to know this was a strange vote.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2026
Even as his Reddit-haunting admirers still parse his lyrics for hidden meanings, his spirit surely looks down on them with wry amusement at his fans’ unending search for profundity.
—Alexander Larman, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wry
Adjective
-
Tom Lester played Eb Dawson, the Douglases' sarcastic young farmhand.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The worse things are going, the more bitter and sarcastic my humor sometimes gets.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Moderate-intensity—your effort feels like a 4 to 6 on a scale of 1 to 10—cardio can include low-impact aerobic workouts like brisk walking, light cycling, elliptical use, swimming, water aerobics, hiking, rowing, and stair climbing.—
Cheyenne Buckingham,
SELF,
6 Feb. 2026
-
About a dozen tots strapped up in their floor length aprons, eager to get messy in the garden, on a brisk winter Texas morning.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Following the 1967 war, a rope of asphalt had replaced the rubble and barbed wire, meandering through the city like an unwanted river.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Much of the comedy in this action-comedy arrives via barbed exchanges between the constantly bickering James and Jonny.—
Richard Kuipers,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
That didn’t happen, not least because of the cynical fecklessness of regional powers.—
Juan Pablo Spinetto,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
-
But cynical calculation gives way to transformative sense of purpose and perhaps redemption.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Chill Factor Perhaps the most biting statistic of the season so far is the temperature.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Morbidly Jewish finds Raanan at his most biting, acerbic, angry, Jewish, and, as always…loud.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But being the first to break through the status quo hasn’t always sat comfortably with Edwards, who is keen to be credited not only for the color of her skin but also for her athletic ability.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Outside of punter, the Panthers have been pretty keen on adding players who are just entering their prime.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Luge is the most dangerous of the three sliding sports (bobsled and skeleton are the others) — ironic because athletes in that event actually have the most control.—
Lindsay Schnell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Then in an ironic twist, Jones and Towns bumped heads as the All-Star center tried to drive on Jones.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Host a Pottery or Clay Night Air-dry or oven-bake clay is beginner-friendly and perfect for a cozy craft night.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Cloud streets—or horizontal convective rolls, as scientists call them—form when cold, dry air flows above warm surface water—in this case, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic waters near Florida.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wry. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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