wise

¹

[ wahyz ]

adjective

, wis·er, wis·est.

1. having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.

   Synonyms: intelligent, sagacious, sensible, sage

2. characterized by or showing such power; judicious or prudent:

   a wise decision.

   Antonyms: foolish

3. possessed of or characterized by scholarly knowledge or learning; learned; erudite:

   wise in the law.

4. having knowledge or information as to facts, circumstances, etc.:

   We are wiser for their explanations.

5. Slang. informed; in the know:

   You're wise, so why not give us the lowdown?

6. Archaic. having knowledge of magic or witchcraft.

verb (used with object)

, wised, wis·ing.

1. Slang. to make wise or aware:

   I'll wise you, kid.

verb phrase

1. Slang. to make or become aware of a secret or generally unknown fact, situation, attitude, etc.:

   They wised him up on how to please the boss.

   She never wised up to the fact that the joke was on her.

wise

²

[ wahyz ]

noun

1. way of proceeding or considering; manner; fashion (usually used in combination or in certain phrases):

   otherwise;

   in any wise;

   in no wise.

wise

³

[ wahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, wised, wis·ing.

1. Chiefly Scot.
   1. to instruct.
   2. to induce or advise.
   3. to show the way to; guide.
2. Scot. to direct the course of; cause to turn.

Wise

⁴

[ wahyz ]

noun

1. Isaac May·er [mahy, -er], 1819–1900, U.S. rabbi and educator, born in Bohemia: founder of Reform Judaism in the U.S.
2. Stephen Samuel, 1874–1949, U.S. rabbi, theologian, and Zionist leader; born in Hungary.

-wise

⁵

1. a suffixal use of wise ² in adverbs denoting manner, position, direction, reference, etc.:

   counterclockwise; edgewise; marketwise; timewise.

wise

¹

/ waɪz /

noun

1. archaic.
   way, manner, fashion, or respect (esp in the phrases any wise, in no wise )

wise

²

/ waɪz /

adjective

1. possessing, showing, or prompted by wisdom or discernment
2. prudent; sensible
3. shrewd; crafty

   a wise plan

4. well-informed; erudite
5. aware, informed, or knowing (esp in the phrase none the wiser )
6. slang.
   postpositiveoften foll byto in the know, esp possessing inside information (about)
7. archaic.
   possessing powers of magic
8. slang.
   cocksure or insolent
9. be wise or get wise informal.
   often foll by to to be or become aware or informed (of something) or to face up (to facts)
10. put wise slang.
    often foll by to to inform or warn (of)

verb

1. See wise up

-wise

³

combining form

1. Also-ways indicating direction or manner

   clockwise

   likewise

2. with reference to

   businesswise

   profitwise

Confusables Note

The suffix -wise is old in the language in adverbs referring to manner, direction, etc.: crosswise; lengthwise. Coinages like marketwise, saleswise, and weatherwise are often criticized, perhaps because of their association with the media: Otherwise—or moneywise, as they were already saying in the motion-picture industry—Hollywood was at the crest of its supercolossal glory. This suffix should not be confused with the adjective wise1 , which appears in such compound words as streetwise and worldly-wise.

Derived Forms

• ˈwiseness, noun
• ˈwisely, adverb

Other Words From

• wise·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of wise¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English wis(e), Old English wīs; cognate with Dutch wijs, German weise, Old Norse vīss, Gothic (un)weis “ignorant, unlearned”; akin to wit ¹, wit ²

Origin of wise²

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English: “way, manner; style, melody”; cognate with Dutch wijze, German Weise “tune, melody; (figurative) manner, way,” Old Norse vīsa “verse, stanza, short poem,” Danish vise “ballad”; akin to Greek eîdos (from weîdos ) “form, shape”

Origin of wise³

First recorded before 900; Middle English wisen, “to advise, reveal, guide,” Old English wīsian “to show the way, guide, direct,” akin to wīs wise ¹; cognate with Old High German wīsan, Old Norse vīsa “to point out, indicate”

Word History and Origins

Origin of wise¹

Old English wīse manner; related to Old Saxon wīsa, German Weise, Old Norse vīsa verse, Latin vīsus face

Origin of wise²

Old English wīs ; related to Old Norse vīss, Gothic weis, German weise

Origin of wise³

Old English -wisan; see wise ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. get wise, Slang.
   1. to become informed.
   2. to be or become presumptuous or impertinent:

      Don't get wise with me, young man!

2. put / set someone wise, Slang. to inform a person; let a person in on a secret or generally unknown fact:

   Some of the others put him wise to what was going on.

3. wise to, Slang. familiar or aware; cognizant of; no longer deceived by a lie, confidence game, trick, or misdirection: Also beget wise to.

   In the end, the investors were wise to the fraud.

More idioms and phrases containing wise

• get wise to
• none the wiser
• penny wise and pound foolish
• put wise
• sadder but wiser
• word to the wise

Example Sentences

This is the Mexico that U.S. college students would be wise to steer clear of on spring break.

From The Daily Beast

I did a piece for Elle about the effort to remake her into an elegant presence fashion-wise.

From The Daily Beast

Kendrick rapidly chants these last lines in repetition with Bilal and Anna Wise sing-shouting behind him, like a rallying cry.

From The Daily Beast

But most women do the walk with their man, even if they later wise up and decide to leave him after all.

From The Daily Beast

Florida, with its large seasonal migrations of northeasterners, is also now a wine-wise state.

From The Daily Beast

The most High hath created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them.

From Project Gutenberg

A wise man hateth not the commandments and justices, and he shall not be dashed in pieces as a ship in a storm.

From Project Gutenberg

She is quite true, but not wise, and your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing.

From Project Gutenberg

There are three things a wise man will not trust: the wind, the sunshine of an April day, and woman's plighted faith.

From Project Gutenberg

It's an idle question, I know; wise men and musty philosophers say that regrets are foolish.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• astute
• aware
• careful
• educated
• enlightened
• experienced
• informed
• judicious
• knowledgeable
• perceptive
• prudent
• rational
• sagacious
• sane
• sensible
• smart
• thoughtful
• wary
• well-informed

Words That Use -wise

What does -wise mean?

The suffix –wise meaning “direction” or “a way of doing.” It is occasionally used in a variety of everyday terms, particularly to indicate a movement.

The form –wise comes from Old English wíse, meaning “way, manner; style, melody.” Yes, melody. Discover why at our entry for the related term verse.

Examples of -wise

An example of a word you may have encountered that features –wise is clockwise, “in the direction of the rotation of the hands of a clock.”

The clock– part of the word refers, of course, to the device that tells time. We know that –wise means “direction.” Clockwise literally translates to “in the direction of a clock,” i.e., in rotation from the left to the right.

What are some words that use the combining form –wise?

• counterclockwise
• edgewise
• otherwise
• somewise
• stepwise
• termwise (using the equivalent form of –wise in Middle English)

What are some other forms that –wise may be commonly confused with?

• -ise
• -wide

Not every word that ends with the exact letters –wise, such as worldly-wise or overwise, is necessarily using the suffix –wise to denote “direction.” Learn why overwise means “too smart” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

Given the meaning of the suffix –wise, what does edgewise mean?