smart-aleck 1 of 2

smart aleck

2 of 2

noun

variants also smart alec
as in wise guy
a person who likes to show off in a clever but annoying way some smart aleck in the audience kept shouting clever insults at the nervous speaker

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smart-aleck
Noun
Newton scored and so did backcourt mate Cam Spencer, that different style of smart aleck, who had 20. Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2024 Perry portrayed sweet, sarcastic smart aleck Chandler Bing for 10 seasons on Friends, garnering an Emmy nomination. EW.com, 29 Oct. 2023 In this series launch, Billingham unveils a brash — and battered — smart aleck protagonist. Erin Douglass, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2023 Declan Miller – a recent widower, ballroom dancer, and devoted smart aleck – has a full plate. Monitor Contributors, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2023 With a smart aleck’s wit and a knack for clear-eyed lyrics, the Brooklyn singer is a sympathetic narrator. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 5 May 2023 In real life, however, Mr. Jaffee was the opposite of a smart aleck: a genteel, unassuming man whose in-person humor was delivered with a wink, not a cudgel. Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2023 The Idea Oven — a suggestion box for half-baked whims, inspirations and notions for new products, businesses or innovations — was a regular feature in this column at the turn of the century (yes, this century, smart aleck). Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 30 Apr. 2021 Ellie is a smart aleck 13-year-old with a mysterious immunity to the virus. Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smart-aleck
Adjective
  • For my family, our go-to choice is always Lake Como with its breathtaking scenery, cute villages, and some of the country’s best luxury hotels in this little part of Northern Italy.
    Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2025
  • Fortunately, Amazon is having a massive sale on cute linen clothes, and prices start at just $20.
    Emily Weaver, People.com, 19 July 2025
Adjective
  • His passion for all-things superhero has a giddy innocence to it even when his films are sarcastic or jokey.
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 July 2025
  • Both of us were sarcastic and fun and funny, and always making jokes and pranks and just having fun with everybody on set.
    Daniela Avila, People.com, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • Celebrity deaths 2025: Remembering the stars who've died this year Chris Robinson, 'General Hospital' and 'Bold and the Beautiful' star, dies at 86 His appearance in a single episode of Frasier, as wise guy Jerome Balasco, earned Yulin an Emmy nomination.
    Shania Russell, EW.com, 11 June 2025
  • And for the most part, the wise guys weren't overly impressed with the Green Bay Packers’ offseason.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
Adjective
  • In turn, much of My Face Hurts From Smiling is downright flippant.
    Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2025
  • Her flippant attitude toward school, her refusal to talk through her grief, and her slippery grasp on the concepts of right and wrong can all be traced to that fateful night in this garage.
    Stacia Brown, Vulture, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • The poem is part love quest, part account of Italy’s battles; in places profoundly serious, in places satiric.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 11 June 2025
  • Neither damning nor satiric, W. is oddly wistful, almost regretful — rare sentiments in a Stone film.
    Will Leitch, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Smart-aleck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smart-aleck. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.

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