smart aleck
[ al-ik ]
/ ˈæl ɪk /
noun
an obnoxiously conceited person.
a wise guy.
QUIZZES
DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?
"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
Origin of smart aleck
1860–65, Americanism; generic use of Aleck, nickname for Alexander
OTHER WORDS FROM smart aleck
smart-al·eck·y, smart-al·eck, adjectiveWords nearby smart aleck
smaragdine, smaragdite, smarm, smarmy, smart, smart aleck, smart as a whip, smart ass, smart bomb, smart card, smart casual
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for smart aleck
British Dictionary definitions for smart aleck
smart aleck
/ (ˈælɪk) /
noun plural smart alecks
informal an irritatingly oversmart person
Derived forms of smart aleck
smart-aleck or smart-alecky, adjectiveWord Origin for smart aleck
C19: from Aleck, Alec, short for Alexander
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with smart aleck
smart aleck
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.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.