smart aleck
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of smart aleck
An Americanism first recorded in 1860–65; generic use of Aleck, nickname for Alexander
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He’s a pint-sized smart aleck who cares deeply for Dunk.
From Salon • Jan. 17, 2026
I’m a kid that grew up in Hollywood, and I went to Baghdad wearing a Metallica shirt and I was a total smart aleck.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 2025
In real life, however, Mr. Jaffee was the opposite of a smart aleck: a genteel, unassuming man whose in-person humor was delivered with a wink, not a cudgel.
From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2023
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
Back home she could be a smart aleck sometimes, and how.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
