having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.
characterized by or showing such power; judicious or prudent.
a wise decision.
possessed of or characterized by scholarly knowledge or learning; learned; erudite.
wise in the law.
having knowledge or information as to facts, circumstances, etc..
We are wiser for their explanations.
Slang. informed; in the know.
You're wise, so why not give us the lowdown?
Archaic. having knowledge of magic or witchcraft.
get wise,
to become informed.
to be or become presumptuous or impertinent.
Don't get wise with me, young man!
wise to, 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.
put / set someone wise, 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.
Chiefly Scot.
to instruct.
to induce or advise.
to show the way to; guide.
Scot. to direct the course of; cause to turn.
Isaac Mayer 1819–1900, U.S. rabbi and educator, born in Bohemia: founder of Reform Judaism in the U.S.
Stephen Samuel, 1874–1949, U.S. rabbi, theologian, and Zionist leader; born in Hungary.
possessing, showing, or prompted by wisdom or discernment
prudent; sensible
shrewd; crafty
a wise plan
well-informed; erudite
aware, informed, or knowing (esp in the phrase none the wiser )
slang in the know, esp possessing inside information (about)
archaic possessing powers of magic
slang cocksure or insolent
informal (often foll by to) to be or become aware or informed (of something) or to face up (to facts)
slang (often foll by to) to inform or warn (of)
Also: -ways. indicating direction or manner
clockwise
likewise
with reference to
profitwise
businesswise
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.
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.
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
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”
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”
The adjective wise describes someone who has experience and a deep understanding. Your wise older sister always gives the best advice. When you make a decision based on careful thought and good judgment, you've made a wise choice. If someone calls you a wise guy, though, it's not a compliment: it's likely to be a criticism of your joke at someone else's expense or your rudeness. To wise off (or sometimes, to be wise), has a similar meaning: to talk back or be disrespectful.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bullard said Warsh is wise to avoid tipping his hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Schlafly, were she around today, would probably not be the wise mentor Waters conjures in “Lead Like Jael.”
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Rushing into a preliminary hearing may have been part of a public relations strategy, rather than a wise legal move, Rahmani said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Not everyone thinks squeezing out juniors is wise.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Bunch Snowberger; wise in Most Things Funereal, said, “We cannot have a dog at funerals and we’ve nowhere to put him this afternoon.”
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
"I asked her if she would do a collaboration with me, so we've done Morecambe and Wise. She did Morecambe and I did Wise," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Wise said that it continues to operate normally under existing money transmitter licenses across 48 U.S. states and four territories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Wise said it has improved its procedures, not just in the U.S., but also in the U.K. and Belgium.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
It was an ill-starred pairing, Keegan resigning after only eight months following differences with Ashley and Newcastle's hierarchy, including his former England player Dennis Wise, who was executive director.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
“You’ve got a major boo-boo. I want to help. You’re the Wise Old Tree. Tell me what to do.”
From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate
Likewise, New Yorker Music Critic Winthrop Sargeant attacked the suffix -wise, as in taxwise.
From Time Magazine Archive
In Rio de Janeiro, U.S. -wise Brazilian Businessman Valentim Bougas urged Latin Americans to follow the ex ample of European nations, which met in Paris last summer to canvass their needs.
From Time Magazine Archive
When the shortcomings of any illustrious man save Borrow are under discussion, 'les defauts de ses qualites' is the criticism- -wise as charitable—which they evoke.
From The Life of George Borrow by Jenkins, Herbert George
It’s just we need wiser, smarter, better leaders, who are, frankly, less mercenary.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
Araki’s sensibility is, if anything, wiser now, though he’d probably flinch at the word.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
So what would a wiser return look like?
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Rather than having an all-or-nothing change in beneficiaries, it’s wiser to have a more balanced approach, one that you and your husband can review every year, or so.
From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026
I wanted to try it out there and then but wiser heads prevailed.
From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling
If Wembanyama is around, the wisest course of action is simply a U-turn—or as Kornet calls it for Victor, a “V-turn.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
If those aren’t the wisest words for Latinos to embrace for the coming year, I’m not sure what is.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2025
I think this is, by far, the wisest course in the short term.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025
In a post on social media, Dead Ringers star Jon Culshaw called Dare the "wisest comedy alchemist and the dearest, dearest friend".
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2025
He didn’t notice—for even the wisest of the old forget, sometimes, the care and subtlety of the young—that Christopher had made no promise.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Mitla’s owners eventually wised up and invited him to learn how to properly prepare them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
Media, especially after Theranos, wised up a bit.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2022
Olivia Munn also used to apply toothpaste to her pimples but has since wised up to this acne treatment hack.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 6, 2022
They wised up at some point, whereas I still hadn’t learned.
From The Verge ● Dec. 13, 2021
"I just got wised up to something funny the last two days," remarked Wilson.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
But now, experts say, Milei is wising up to the game, giving up some campaign promises while maneuvering to secure enough other priorities to claim victory.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2024
While U.S. players have led the development of retail media networks, European retailers are wising up to the opportunity.
From Reuters ● Jun. 12, 2023
“I hope he’s wising up to the stupidity of what he’s doing.”
From Washington Times ● Feb. 27, 2022
At the same time that more of Congress is getting on board, movers and shakers in the business community are also wising up to the benefits of paid family leave.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2021
So I heard; his nibs here," indicating the bartender, "has been wising me up, a lot.
From The Lonesome Trail and Other Stories by Bower, B. M.
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.
