English Explanatory Dictionary

wry

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Turned away, contorted (of the face or body).
  2. Dryly humorous; sardonic or bitterly ironic.
  3. Twisted, bent, crooked.
  4. Deviating from the right direction; misdirected; out of place.
verb
  1. To turn (away); to swerve or deviate.
  2. To divert; to cause to turn away.
  3. To twist or contort (the body, face, etc.).
noun
  1. Distortion.
verb
  1. To cover; clothe; cover up; cloak; hide.

Pronunciation

/ɹaɪ/ en-au-wry.ogg

Word forms

wry wrier wryer wriest wryest wries wrying wried

Etymology

From Middle English wrien, from Old English wrīġian (“to go, turn, twist, bend, strive, struggle, press forward, endeavor, venture”), from Proto-Germanic *wrigōną (“to wriggle”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyḱ- (“to turn, wrap, tie”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”). Compare awry, wriggle.

Synonyms

droll

Derived words

awry wry-billed plover wryly go awry
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