wisenheimer
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of wisenheimer
1915–20, earlier also wiseheimer, equivalent to wise 1 + - (en)heimer, extracted from surnames with this ending
Explanation
Feel free to call your annoying younger cousin a wisenheimer, especially if he is an irritatingly smug show-off. The word wisenheimer, more or less a synonym of "smart aleck," is taking on a rather old-fashioned feel these days which it's fully entitled to, being more than 100 years old. It's an American coinage, slotted into a familiar sound pattern of surnames ending in -heimer, which is probably the legacy of 19th- and 20th-century German immigration.
Vocabulary lists containing wisenheimer
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.
A few times, he pushed back with a brief display of his New York wisenheimer attitude.
From Washington Post • Feb. 27, 2019
Adam McKay, the wisenheimer behind “The Big Short,” takes on Dick Cheney in his latest film, “Vice.”
From Salon • Dec. 24, 2018
At heart, as onscreen, they say, he is that wisenheimer with an arsenal of impressions who cracked up at his own sketches and “Weekend Update” one-liners.
From New York Times • May 17, 2017
It’s a nice touch that Kirk’s such a fan of the late 20th century wisenheimer rappers as they do, of course, mention “a pinch on the neck from Mr Spock” in their tune Intergalactic.
From The Guardian • Dec. 14, 2015
"Now don't be a wisenheimer, Jim," he answered quickly and I felt like one of my teachers was quietly making a point.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2010
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.
