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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.

Those remarkable dressings displayed here reveal dynamic, shorthand ink vignettes—energetic hieroglyphs and vibrating, wiry stick figures whose spells discharge like lightning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

The wiry 6-foot-6, 215-pound redshirt sophomore has a quick release.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

In his 70s now, wiry with sharp eyes, Yoo speaks hesitantly at first - but it comes back to him quickly.

From BBC • Jul. 15, 2025

Gretzky had scored at a devastating clip for an absurdly long time—20 NHL seasons that saw him turn from a wiry 18-year-old into the league’s elder statesman.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2025

He was a wiry little fellow with thick, unclean lenses in his glasses which magnified his frightened stare.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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.