Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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

Etymology

Origin of wise guy

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

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.

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "wise guy" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com