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Synonyms

wise guy

American  

noun

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

    He has a reputation for being a wise guy.
wise guy British  

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
wise guy Idioms  

  1. 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.

Other Word Forms

  • wise-guy adjective

Etymology

Origin of wise guy

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

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.

“You wouldn’t hire a wise guy, you wouldn’t hire a made man, like a mobster, to work in a DA’s office.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2024

Mad magazine’s award-winning cartoonist and ageless wise guy who delighted millions of kids with the sneaky fun of the Fold-In and the snark of “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.”

From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2023

Locke has Charlie’s gentle deportment but with the soft edge of a cool-kid wise guy.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2023

“I would say one person — a little, tiny bit of a raising of a voice, a wise guy a little bit,” Trump said, without identifying the governor.

From Washington Post • Mar. 26, 2020

Jerry recognized him now—a wise guy named Janza.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

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.