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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

And then the wise guys in my office, they made a bobblehead of me sinking in the Bitcoin boat.

From Salon

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

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

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

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.”

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Related Words

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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