Meanings
spry1
comparative sprier · superlative spriest
- Having great power of leaping or running; nimble; active.
What follows is a bunch of nonstop goofery involving chase sequences, dream sequences, fast-changing costumes and an improbable beard, a little musical help from Flight Of The Conchords, and ultimately a very physical confrontation with a surprisingly spry Victoria.
2012 April 26, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits :”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 28 May 2013 - Vigorous; lively; cheerful; sprightly.
"I'm not sure about whether I shall go. I am the most incurably lazy devil that ever stood in shoe leather—that is, when the fit is on me, for I can be spry enough at times."
1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, page 371 more example
The Captain folded his brow into a look of intense perplexity. 'You seem exceedingly spry for a man who demolished an entire bottle of brandy and better part of an ounce of shag in a single evening.' 'And very nice too,' said the tramp. 'Now as to breakfast?'
1992, Robert Rankin, The Antipope, page 68
Spry2
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)preg-“to strew, jerk, sprinkle, scatter”
- Proto-Germanic*sprēkiz“lively”
- Old Norsesprækr“nimble, lively”
- Englishspry
From British dialectal sprey, from Old Norse sprækr (“nimble, lively”) from Proto-Germanic *sprēkiz (“lively”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)preg- (“to strew, jerk, sprinkle, scatter”). Cognate with Icelandic sprækur (“lively, spry”), Norwegian sprek (“lively, healthy”), dialectal Swedish sprygg (“brisk, very active, skittish”). More at spark. Related to sprack, sprig, sprug, freckle.
More words from Old Norse, Proto-Germanic, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian енергичен, чевръст
- енергичен (energičen)nimble, active
- чевръст (čevrăst)nimble, active
Czech čilý, čiperný
- čilýnimble, active
- čipernýnimble, active
Dutch kwiek
- kwieknimble, active
French actif, vif
- actifnimble, active
- vifnimble, active
- alertenimble, active
- vigilantnimble, active
German agil, beweglich
- agilnimble, active
- beweglichnimble, active
- rüstignimble, active
Hungarian fürge, jó erőben levő
- fürgenimble, active
- jó erőben levőnimble, active
Polish na siłach
- na siłachnimble, active
Portuguese ágil, ativo
- ágilnimble, active
- ativonimble, active
- serelepenimble, active
Russian бо́йкий, подви́жный
- бо́йкий (bójkij)nimble, active
- подви́жный (podvížnyj)nimble, active
Scottish Gaelic giobach
- giobachnimble, active
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with spry
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
spry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spry
“spry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spry. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spry,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spry.
Source: spry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.