Wiry Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms wiry American [wahyuhr-ee] / ˈwaɪər i /

adjective

wirier, wiriest

1. made of wire.

2. in the form of wire.

3. resembling wire, as in form, stiffness, etc..

   wiry grass.

4. lean and sinew.

   a wiry little person.

5. produced by or resembling the sound of a vibrating wire.

   wiry tones.

wiry British / ˈwaɪərɪ /

adjective

1. (of people or animals) slender but strong in constitution

2. made of or resembling wire, esp in stiffness

   wiry hair

3. (of a sound) produced by or as if by a vibrating wire

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• wirily adverb
• wiriness noun

Etymology

Origin of wiry

First recorded in 1580–90; wire + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“All right!” a short enthusiastic man with wiry hair called as he dashed halfway up a stairway behind the registration table.

From Literature

My arms and legs had grown skinnier, wirier than ever before, but my stomach was rounding out and bloating, like Baby Joe’s and some of the other boys’.

From Literature

In these paintings, figures are defined by wiry contours and modeled with lean pigments in saturated hues.

From The Wall Street Journal

With his wiry frame and shy eyes, the British actor has demonstrated in films such as “La Chimera” and “The Mastermind” an appetite for soft-spoken characters who exude a gentle masculinity.

From Los Angeles Times

She’s older again, wearing a simple black sweater and some wiry glasses.

From Literature

Related Words

• agile
• athletic
• limber
• muscular
• sinewy
• strapping
• supple

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.