wirier ˈwī-rē-ər How to pronounce wiry (audio) ; wiriest
1
a
archaic : made of wire
b
: resembling wire especially in form and flexibility
the wiry coat of the Irish terrier
wiry stems
c
of sound : produced by or suggestive of the vibration of wire
the violinist … often let his tone go nasal and wiryD. J. Henahan
2
: being lean, supple, and vigorous : sinewy
the wiry figure of a long-distance runnerPhoenix Flame
wirily adverb
wiriness noun

Examples of wiry in a Sentence

a man with long, wiry arms She was lean and wiry from years of working out. He has dark, wiry hair.
Recent Examples on the Web While preferring that the wiry wing jump off of two legs rather than one, Toreros coach Steve Lavin said Patton has earned some leeway on the court. Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024 Then, in early 2020, a wiry outsider arrived looking for work, and everything changed. Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 The 74-year-old Etches is lean, wiry and to-the-point. William Booth, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 Wrapped around it are curved forms, wiry and metallic, their composition looking strangely like a shattered hammer and sickle — an emblem of proletarian solidarity between agricultural and industrial workers in the Russian state, now torn asunder. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2023 A lot of women who would be on a pirate ship were probably very wiry, having been maids who hauled buckets of coal and water and goods and did a lot of physical activity all day. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2023 As wiry post-punks, atmospheric goth balladeers, and purveyors of dizzying pop gems, the Cure have worn many faces over their four-plus decades, and each was on display during an ensuing 29-song set that stretched to nearly three hours. Ben Stas, BostonGlobe.com, 19 June 2023 All manner of green-skinned creatures with wide, buglike eyes and wiry limbs have dominated pop-culture interpretations of life on Mars for decades. Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2023 The tree made its first TV appearance on The Howdy Doody Show, and decorations went from cranberries and popcorn to red garland, white plastic globes, icicle lights and wiry white angel trumpeters. Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wiry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of wiry was in 1588

Dictionary Entries Near wiry

Cite this Entry

“Wiry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wiry. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wiry

adjective
wirier ˈwī-rē-ər How to pronounce wiry (audio) ; wiriest
1
: resembling wire in form and flexibility
wiry stems
2
: being slender yet strong and muscular
a wiry physique

More from Merriam-Webster on wiry

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