What does dryly mean?
'Dryly' is an adverb describing the manner of something done in a dry way. Most commonly, it characterizes speech delivered with understated, deadpan humor: a remark made dryly is witty but delivered without a smile, leaving listeners to detect the joke themselves. The word can also describe a tone that is flat, emotionless, or matter-of-fact, as when someone answers a question dryly with no warmth or embellishment. It typically modifies verbs of speaking — said, remarked, noted, observed — and is a fixture of fiction and journalism for conveying sardonic characters and ironic narration. English offers two accepted spellings: 'dryly', preferred in American usage, and 'drily', common in British writing. Derived from the adjective 'dry', which has carried the figurative sense of understated humor since at least the early twentieth century, 'dryly' is a precise, economical word for humor that refuses to announce itself.
adverbIn a dry manner; with dry, often understated or deadpan humor. Also, in a flat, emotionless, or matter-of-fact way.
- In a dry or understated humorous manner (deadpan wit).
- In a flat, unemotional, or matter-of-fact tone.
""I've heard better excuses," he said dryly."
""That went well," she remarked dryly, surveying the collapsed tent."
"The witness answered dryly that he had no recollection of the evening."
English can't decide how to spell this word: 'dryly' wins in America, 'drily' in Britain — same word, two spellings.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dryly
'Dryly' is formed from the Old English adjective 'dryge' (meaning free from moisture) plus the adverbial suffix '-ly'. The word itself is old in form, but its dominant modern sense — describing understated, deadpan humor — is comparatively recent: 'dry' took on the figurative meaning of quietly humorous in the early twentieth century, and 'dryly' followed. A long-standing variant spelling, 'drily', arose because of uncertainty over whether to retain or change the 'y' before adding '-ly'; British English favors 'drily', while American English standardizes on 'dryly'. Cognates include Dutch 'droog' and German 'trocken', all descending from the same Germanic root.
Related word forms
How dryly is actually used
'Dryly' is neutral to slightly literary in register and appears most often as a speech verb modifier ('he said dryly'). It carries no negative connotation by itself, though it can suggest detachment or irony depending on context. American English strongly prefers 'dryly'; British English frequently uses the variant spelling 'drily', and neither is considered an error.
Easily confused with dryly
Drily is simply a variant spelling of the same word — both mean in a dry manner — but 'drily' is more common in British English while 'dryly' is standard in American English.