wise guy
Americannoun
noun
-
informal a person who is given to making conceited, sardonic, or insolent comments
-
a member of the Mafia
Other Word Forms
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.
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.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 31, 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
Brown had gone from wise guy to wise man, from skinflint to a bit of a spendthrift; the bullet train caught his eye and his imagination, though it also courted controversy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2020
“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
And if you tell ’em you knew a witty boy, you gotta tell ’em he was kind of a smart aleck, though, or a wise guy.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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.
