as in smart alecks
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 guys
The wise guys already view Denver suspiciously, casting them with the 12th-best odds to reach the Super Bowl next February.
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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
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
In the same episode, the other wise guys on Tony’s crew have a heated discussion about Columbus, even mentioning a Columbus statue that will become the site of a protest.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
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
In the same episode, the other wise guys on Tony’s crew have a heated discussion about Columbus, even mentioning a Columbus statue that will become the site of a protest.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Wise guys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wise%20guys. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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