sprier or spryer
ˈsprī(-ə)r 
; spriest or spryest
ˈsprī-əst
; spriest or spryest
ˈsprī-əst
: able to move quickly, easily, and lightly : nimble sense 1
—used especially to describe an older person
a spry 75-year-old
… his spry libidinous grandfather …—
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley KauffmannMatthew is getting up in years, you know—he's sixty—and he isn't so spry as he once was.—Charles Keller
Charles Keller
spryly
adverb
… hopping spryly onto a treadmill.
—Heather King
Heather King
Then there's his trumpet playing, which he still does spryly at the age of 82, with its dusty allure intact.
—Giovanni Russonello
Giovanni Russonello
spryness
noun
… he still has a boyish spryness although he's in his late forties.
—Adam Mars-Jones
Adam Mars-Jones
Examples of spry in a Sentence
an older woman who's still surprisingly spry
Recent Examples on the Web
In those minutes, Moody looked spry, even attempting a dunk on the 7-2 Clingan.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
But on Thursday, Flacco looked spry running for a 12-yard gain deep in his own territory.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2025
Aaron Rodgers looked spry as the Steelers dominated the Browns to move to 4-1.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Van Dyke clearly has done something right, making it to 99 years old and staying spry enough to attend buzzy charity galas and become a verified gym bro.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spry
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Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
But on Thursday, Flacco looked spry running for a 12-yard gain deep in his own territory.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2025
Aaron Rodgers looked spry as the Steelers dominated the Browns to move to 4-1.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Van Dyke clearly has done something right, making it to 99 years old and staying spry enough to attend buzzy charity galas and become a verified gym bro.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spry
Cite this Entry
“Spry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spry. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spry
adjective
sprier or spryer
ˈsprī(-ə)r
; spriest or spryest
ˈsprī-əst
; spriest or spryest
ˈsprī-əst
spryly
adverb
spryness
noun
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