Used about a smile, a face or a kind of humour: it shows that you know the situation is bad, and you are choosing to find it a little funny instead of crying about it. A wry smile is small, one-sided, half a smile — the mouth pulls to one side. If you miss the bus, then see it stop at the next corner anyway, and you laugh once through your nose, that is wry.

Used about a smile, a face or a kind of humour用來形容一個微笑、一個表情，或一種幽默：it shows that you know the situation is bad表示你知道情況很糟，and you are choosing to find it a little funny instead of crying about it而你選擇覺得它有點好笑，而不是為此難過。A wry smile is small, one-sided, half a smilewry smile是一種小小的、偏一邊的、半邊的笑容——the mouth pulls to one side嘴角只往一邊拉。If you miss the bus如果你錯過了公車，then see it stop at the next corner anyway卻看到它還是在下一個街角停下來，and you laugh once through your nose你從鼻子哼笑一聲，that is wry那就是wry。

Wry humour is dry and clever, never loud; it points at trouble without complaining about it, and it is often aimed at yourself. British writing is full of it. Common partners: a wry smile, a wry grin, a wry look, wry humour, a wry comment, wry amusement.

Wry humour is dry and clever, never loudwry humour是那種乾乾的、聰明的幽默，從來不誇張，it points at trouble without complaining about it它點出麻煩，卻不會抱怨，and it is often aimed at yourself而且常常是拿自己開玩笑。British writing is full of it英國文學裡到處都是這種東西。Common partners常見的搭配詞：a wry smile苦笑、a wry grin苦笑（露齒版）、a wry look無奈的表情、wry humour無奈的幽默、a wry comment帶點自嘲的評論、wry amusement帶點苦味的好笑。

There is a second, older and more physical meaning you may still meet: twisted or bent to one side. That is where the word came from — the twisting of the face is the same twisting — and it survives in 'wry neck', a neck bent to one side.

There is a second, older and more physical meaning you may still meet還有一個比較舊、比較具體的意思你可能會遇到：twisted or bent to one side扭曲、或往一邊彎。That is where the word came from這就是這個字的來源——the twisting of the face is the same twisting臉部的那種扭曲跟這裡是同一種扭曲——and it survives in 'wry neck'而且還留存在'wry neck'（歪脖）這個說法裡，a neck bent to one side指一種往一邊歪的脖子。

When people call a remark wry, they usually mean it and something more: there is a small sadness under the joke. That is what separates wry from simply funny.

When people call a remark wry當有人說一句話是wry的時候，they usually mean it and something more通常不只是字面上的意思：there is a small sadness under the joke玩笑底下藏著一點點的悲傷。That is what separates wry from simply funny這就是wry跟單純好笑不一樣的地方。