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
In a wry comment on the hazards of fame, Carpenter and fans are seen in the last seconds of the ad eating the remains of the potato-chip paramour.
—
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Feb. 2026
Such was the magnitude of that hold that Djokovic celebrated first with a wry smile before turning to the crowd and pumping his fist.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
There’s a wry grace to this misadventure-palooza, forged in the key of melancholic mid-career Woody Allen but with variations on those themes which achieve their own pointedly funny clarity, especially where Ubeimar Rios’ all-time portrayal of a sad sack is concerned.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Though the subject matter is heavy, the movie is leavened by Rushdie’s wry sense of humor.
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wry
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Feb. 2026
Such was the magnitude of that hold that Djokovic celebrated first with a wry smile before turning to the crowd and pumping his fist.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
There’s a wry grace to this misadventure-palooza, forged in the key of melancholic mid-career Woody Allen but with variations on those themes which achieve their own pointedly funny clarity, especially where Ubeimar Rios’ all-time portrayal of a sad sack is concerned.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Though the subject matter is heavy, the movie is leavened by Rushdie’s wry sense of humor.
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 26 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
-
Lemon entered his plea during a brisk court appearance on Friday, multiple outlets reported, after he was arrested last month in Los Angeles.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Although a good portion of this album still sounds like Kurt Vile going through a Sly Stone phase, the kumbaya squishiness of the past few records has hardened into a brisk antagonism.—
Eli Enis,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
These corporations are enabling violence on the streets and death behind barbed wire.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Reams of barbed wire gathered from the fields around Penpont were fashioned into a mesh curtain whose ends wrapped around two columns at the top of the museum’s grand staircase; the result was both alluring and forbidding.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In his experiences and chronicles of the great ideological battles of the twentieth century, Curzio Malaparte was a shape-shifter—pitiless, clinical, cynical, unsentimental, indifferent to morality and idealism.—
Leah Downey,
The New York Review of Books,
7 Feb. 2026
-
That didn’t happen, not least because of the cynical fecklessness of regional powers.—
Juan Pablo Spinetto,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 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
-
Hot and dry forests become a tinderbox Record droughts and scorching temperatures created conditions conducive to wildfires in Chile and Argentina, the study found, while single-species plantations of highly flammable trees like pines helped the fires spread more easily in both areas.—
Isabel Debre,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Rinse with water and dry with a clean microfiber cloth or soft towel.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wry. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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