as in smart aleck
a person who likes to show off in a clever but annoying way
if you weren't such a wise guy all the time, people might be more interested in hearing what you have to say
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Recent Examples of wise guy
Still, local lore, including online discussion threads, insists that the wise guy looms above the pews.
—
Susan Mulcahy, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
And of course, the sci-fi comedy pic’s architect, Mel Brooks, is back, returning to his roles as Zen Yiddish wise guy Yogurt and President Skroob.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
The Green Bay Packers made quite a Week 1 impression — at least with the wise guys in Las Vegas.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for wise guy
Susan Mulcahy, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
And of course, the sci-fi comedy pic’s architect, Mel Brooks, is back, returning to his roles as Zen Yiddish wise guy Yogurt and President Skroob.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
The Green Bay Packers made quite a Week 1 impression — at least with the wise guys in Las Vegas.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for wise guy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wise guy
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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In 1982’s hit action comedy 48 Hours, a young Eddie Murphy plays a wiseacre criminal on parole in order to help a veteran cop, played by Nick Nolte, solve a case.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
4 Aug. 2025
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Similarly, the Pink Ladies, a popular clique headed by Rizzo (Stockard Channing), deliver their wiseacre lines with a fair dose of irony.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
10 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Wise guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wise%20guy. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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