wry

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wry / / • adj. (wry·er, wry·est or wri·er, wri·est) 1. using or expressing dry, esp. mocking, humor: a wry smile wry comments.2. (of a person's face or features) twisted into an expression of disgust, disappointment, or annoyance. ∎ archaic (of the neck or features) distorted or turned to one side: a remedy for wry necks.DERIVATIVES: wry·ly adv.wry·ness n.ORIGIN: early 16th cent. (in the sense ‘contorted’): from Old English wrīgian ‘tend, incline,’ in Middle English ‘deviate, swerve, contort.’