smart aleck

Or smart al·ec

[smahrt al-ik]

noun

Informal.

1. wise guy.

smart aleck

/ ˈælɪk /

noun

1. informal,  an irritatingly oversmart person

Other Word Forms

• smart-aleck adjective
• smart-alecky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of smart aleck¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of smart aleck¹

C19: from Aleck, Alec, short for Alexander

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

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.

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

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I didn’t actively think of it again, but “you should always look for the limb” became part of my smart aleck’s understanding of the world, a bit of wisdom, never questioned.

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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.

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She is an outraged activist, a smart aleck, an angsty dreamer of a girl.

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Related Words

• know-it-all 
• wise guy