smart aleck

American  

[smahrt al-ik] / ˈsmɑrt ˌæl ɪk /

Or smart alec

noun

Informal.

1. wise guy.

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smart aleck British  

/ ˈælɪk /

noun

1. informal an irritatingly oversmart person

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smart aleck Idioms  

1. An impudent or obnoxiously self-assertive individual, a wise guy, as in New teachers often have a hard time coping with the smart alecks in their classes. This expression, dating from the mid-1800s, probably alluded to a person of this description who was named Alec or Alexander, but his identity has been lost.

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Other Word Forms

• smart-aleck adjective
• smart-alecky adjective

Etymology

Origin of smart aleck

An Americanism first recorded in 1860–65; generic use of Aleck, nickname for Alexander

Example Sentences

Some sued, some sent smart aleck responses and some refused to answer the email.

From Salon • Feb. 27, 2025

Q. Stuck in the middle: My father has always been a smart aleck who loves practical jokes and discreetly needling people.

From Slate • Jul. 6, 2021

OK, a smart aleck would say that’s a low bar.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2019

Since then, the driver says, “every smart aleck who thinks he can tell a joke has been circling Burbank like a vulture.”

From New York Times • May 24, 2017

He thinks I’m trying to be a smart aleck.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake