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View synonyms for wise guy

wise guy

noun

  1. Informal. a cocksure, conceited, and often insolent person; smart aleck:

    He has a reputation for being a wise guy.



wise guy

noun

  1. informal.
    a person who is given to making conceited, sardonic, or insolent comments
  2. a member of the Mafia
“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


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Other Words From

  • wise-guy adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of wise guy1

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
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Idioms and Phrases

An obnoxious know-it-all, a person who makes sarcastic or annoying remarks, as in the teacher was delighted that the worst wise guy in the class was moving out of town . [ Slang ; second half of 1800s] Also see smart aleck .
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Example Sentences

When the now revered Ronald Reagan's house was on fire, one wise guy remarked: “they saved the books but the crayons melted.”

He had to be a wise guy to slip one over on an old big-leaguer like yours truly, and that's no sidewalk banter either.

He was a wise guy in the sense that he could be disrespectful in a way that you would accept.

When speaking to the FBI, did you characterize him as a wise guy, or is that the agent's characterization?

Suppose, continued Warner in the manner of one weighing every chance, she goes with her troubles to some wise guy?

Simms snarled out of the side of his mouth, "Shut up, wise guy!"

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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.

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