1
as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred
a talk show host who's known for his quick quips and smart-aleck observations on current events
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
a smart-aleck reply that was met with a slap in the face
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of smart-aleck
Jeff Spry, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2025
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
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
Noun
This fuzzy, snout-nosed, smart aleck extraterrestrial whose name was Gordon Shumway crashed in the suburban garage of the Tanner family in California after escaping from the doomed planet of Melmac, which was destroyed by nuclear war.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smart-aleck
Adjective
-
This cute mini skort can be worn with any top already in your wardrobe, or with the Gap crop tank top as a matching set.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The idea of putting a cute sticker on your body every day to take a supplement seems fun in theory.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Gavalas was a normal guy, Edelson said – a golfer, a funny person with a sarcastic wit, a video gamer.—
Brittany Wallman
Updated March 4,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Mother of two children with her sarcastic, smart and handsome husband.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The wise guys already view Denver suspiciously, casting them with the 12th-best odds to reach the Super Bowl next February.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Framing wise guys on murder charges for Whitey Bulger, looking the other way on a gangland hit by a BPD detective in Canton in 1976, the list of scandals is too great to even list them all.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Last fall, New York’s Republican State Committee suspended a Young Republican organization following the release of a group chat that included jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Last fall, New York's Republican State Committee suspended a Young Republican organization following the release of a group chat that included jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In 1784, Franklin suggested shifting schedules to rise earlier in a satirical letter to the Journal of Paris.—
Hannah Poukish,
Sacbee.com,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The innocent taste test went largely unnoticed for weeks until creators began stitching their reactions and flooding social feeds with a storm of memes and satirical posts.—
Rachel Ventresca,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Soil with a pH below 6 is considered acidic; anything above 7 is alkaline; 7 is neutral.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Some plants perform better in an acidic soil, others in an alkaline soil.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smart-aleck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smart-aleck. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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