wisenheimer

noun

wi·​sen·​hei·​mer ˈwī-zᵊn-ˌhī-mər 

variants or less commonly weisenheimer

: smart aleck

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Wisenheimer and More "Wise" Words

We wouldn't joke around about the origin of this witty word. In the early 20th century, someone had the smart idea to combine the adjective wise (one sense of which means "insolent, smart-alecky, or fresh") with -enheimer, playing on the pattern of family names such as Oppenheimer and Guggenheimer. Of course, wisenheimer isn't the only "wise-" word for someone who jokes around. There's also wiseacre, wisecracker, and wise guy. All of these jokesters are fond of making wisecracks.

Synonyms

• smart aleck
• smart alec
• smarty
• smartie
• smarty-pants
• wise guy
• wiseacre
• wiseass

Examples of wisenheimer in a Sentence

it seems like every time we go to the movies, sitting behind us is some wisenheimer making snide cracks

Recent Examples on the Web

Also, the movie knows when to ease up on the wisenheimer instinct. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2023

Stan is a bit of a wisenheimer, and Sandler puts his natural yappiness to good use. —Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2022

Word History

Etymology

wise entry 1 + -enheimer (as in family names such as Guggenheimer, Oppenheimer)

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

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