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
From time to time over the years, polls and pollsters have piqued the wit and wry humor of many cartoonists.
—
W. Joseph Campbell, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
But though there are wry laughs to be had, from the exquisite awkwardness of the setup alone, Babygirl was received by many as a comedy, which trivializes the extraordinary atmosphere that Reijn creates.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2024
Though the subject matter is serious, the execution is wry, especially when Martin’s mother Linda (Lisa Kudrow, sharply hilarious) chimes in.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2024
Through a Zoom screen, King radiates compassion and attunement, and Faber is wry and delightfully discursive; both seem like the mom whose house everybody would hang out at after school.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for wry
W. Joseph Campbell, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
But though there are wry laughs to be had, from the exquisite awkwardness of the setup alone, Babygirl was received by many as a comedy, which trivializes the extraordinary atmosphere that Reijn creates.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2024
Though the subject matter is serious, the execution is wry, especially when Martin’s mother Linda (Lisa Kudrow, sharply hilarious) chimes in.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2024
Through a Zoom screen, King radiates compassion and attunement, and Faber is wry and delightfully discursive; both seem like the mom whose house everybody would hang out at after school.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for wry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wry
Adjective
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Green’s teammate, Moses Moody, gave a sarcastic response to Brooks’ assertion.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2025
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It was followed by a sarcastic post targeting Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Jack and Kate’s problems are more subtle and slow to emerge than the other pairs’; with brisk, half-hour episodes, this sometimes manifests in their tensions being spelled out rather than shown.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
1 May 2025
-
Challenge yourself to make the transitions as smooth as possible, picking up the pace toward the end of your walk to seamlessly progress into the run, then dialing it back over the last few seconds of your run to ease back into a brisk walk.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Standing in front of an array of 4,500 Canadian solar panels and across from a wall topped with barbed wire, Gov. Ned Lamont today announced the completion of seven solar projects at prisons located in Enfield, Cheshire and Somers.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2025
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Some of the humor has a barbed, geopolitical aim in a war for the world’s hearts and minds — see the Chinese government’s fusillade of memes — but political scientists say that, for many people, humor is a natural response to stressful times.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These final years are sometimes treated as a lost period, because Twain’s writing grew bitter and cynical and unpalatable to those more interested in pleasing escapades.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
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The humor was of the cerebral, physical, cynical and quite often gallows varieties, but always heartfelt.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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During the taping of a recent Netflix special, Kyle Dunnigan impersonated Musk onstage in a biting parody—the audience laughed, but Rogan sat mostly silent, avoiding eye contact, appearing unwilling to signal disloyalty to the tech mogul.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
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Its biting satire is complimented by engaging mechanics like the stratagems.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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From an investment standpoint, the Mavericks head coach has been keen on football for some time.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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Banerji talked up the success of The Shadow Strays and Hunger, the latter of which hit No. 1 worldwide, but also was keen to stress the company’s firsts for the region, notably producing Outside, the first Filipino zombie movie that was released in 2024.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This faux screener introduces the stage play, the museum show, and the faux bio-pic to the public (or some staged semblance thereof) and leads to yet another vortex of ironic instability.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
1 May 2025
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For a production centered on battling non-human villains, the inclusion of seemingly artificial images felt oddly ironic.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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The box’s ability to keep its contents dry has earned it lots of praise.—
Clint Davis,
People.com,
3 May 2025
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Atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema, causes dry, itchy, and inflamed skin.—
Susan Bard,
Health,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wry. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
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