1
as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred
you wouldn't be so smart-alecky if you were the one having the surgery
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
smart-alecky comments from a coworker about her new clothes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smart-alecky
Even at its most sorrowful, anti-authoritarian, and smart-alecky, Gunn’s work endorses a fundamentally promising vision of life.
—
Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Cleverbot veers from sounding like a winsome waif to coming across as a drunk, smart-alecky fifteen-year-old who talks in non sequiturs.
—Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Cleverbot veers from sounding like a winsome waif to coming across as a drunk, smart-alecky fifteen-year-old who talks in non sequiturs.
—Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smart-alecky
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
Adjective
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The fun of this salad is the playful textures of super-crispy rice made from day-old leftovers.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
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No doubt that playful warmth played a part in him being cast as Luffy, a hilariously nonchalant, yet utterly sincere would-be pirate.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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Miner explained that clear protein powders have a more watery consistency and a slightly bitter, acidic taste without additives.—
Mira Miller,
Verywell Health,
4 Mar. 2026
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But a few hundred feet away is Echinus Geyser, the largest acidic geyser in the world.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smart-alecky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smart-alecky. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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