wrylie

W4R1Y4L1I1E1
/ˈɹaɪli/

noun

A parenthetical direction in a screenplay, especially in an instance of overuse.

Scrabble 12

Meanings

nounwrylie (plural wrylies)

plural wrylies

  1. A parenthetical direction in a screenplay, especially in an instance of overuse.

    2021, Trevor Mayes, "10 Rules For Using Parentheticals In Your Screenplay" Parentheticals, or actor/character directions, or “wrylies,” are those little descriptions that sometimes appear after a character’s name, in dialogue blocks, to spell out tone, intent or action.

    1 more example

    Avoid putting in a wrylie what should be in an action line. (walking faster) (looking her up and down) (peering over the edge of the cliff) (pouring coffee)

    2020, Julie Gray, Just Effing Entertain Me: A Screenwriter's Atlas
  2. derogatoryhumorousA prosaic phrase, typically including an adverb with the -ly suffix, that attributes dialogue to a character.

Origin

Screenwriting jargon, originally a deliberate misspelling of wryly.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

Cite this entry
APA

wrylie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wrylie

MLA

“wrylie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wrylie. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wrylie,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wrylie.

Source: wrylie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.