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
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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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Matching lounge sets meet all the criteria of a great one-and-done airport outfit — they’re made from soft material, don’t require outfit planning, and actually look cute.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
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Each heart has a little black outline of a heart inside of it, creating cute sketched vibes.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Tom Lester played Eb Dawson, the Douglases' sarcastic young farmhand.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
25 Jan. 2026
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The worse things are going, the more bitter and sarcastic my humor sometimes gets.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Think pét-nat’s playful fizz, fancy kombucha in a wine bottle, zero-proof sparklers, including Elton John’s new bubbly.—
Lanee Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Bags This playful, socially minded brand from Spain was created four years ago by Paloma Hernández Tamame, and creates colorful, customizable handbags with decor using children’s construction blocks.—
Alex Wynne,
Footwear News,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Libby has a good ear for corporate doublespeak and probably another satirical play in him about whatever goes on at this company’s Taco Tuesday, but Data sticks to a staunchly instructive spirit.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 Jan. 2026
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The year got underway with Playboy Manbaby releasing their first album since 2018, a satirical takedown of life as know it in 2026.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Mushy, wrinkled, moldy, or acidic-smelling grapes should only be food for your compost.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Dark roasts are less acidic than other roasts.—
Emily Santora,
Health,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smart-alecky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smart-alecky. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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