wry

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɹaɪ/ See IPA manual

Homophones

rye /ɹaɪ/

Freq #30723

Meanings

1

adj
Showing dry, slightly mocking humour.

He made a wry comment about the endless meetings.
2

adj
Twisted or bent to one side, especially of the face.

She gave a wry smile and shook her head.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · showing dry, slightly... droll ironic

Word family

Forms wrierwriest

Derived forms awry wryly

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

wry neck
a neck twisted or bent to one side

Adjective + noun

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.

*wreyḱ- Proto-Indo-European wrien Middle English wrīġian Old English *wrigōną Proto-Germanic

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# wry

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɹaɪ/
**Frequency rank:** 30723

## Meanings
1. Showing dry, slightly mocking humour.
2. Twisted or bent to one side, especially of the face.

## Examples
- He made a wry comment about the endless meetings.
- She gave a wry smile and shook her head.

## Derived Forms
- awry
- wryly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *wreyḱ-
- Root: wrien
- Root: wrīġian
- Root: *wrigōną

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Wry is 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. In present-day use, it can mean showing dry, slightly mocking humour, or twisted or bent to one side, especially of the face. Derived formations include awry, wryly.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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wry

Meanings

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Phrases (1)

Etymology

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