Synonyms
Examples of wise guy in a Sentence
Quit being a wise guy.
No more wise-guy remarks, got it?
a movie about two wiseguys
Recent Examples on the Web
Indeed, other scholars insist that the Gospel’s author did not mean for the Magi to be wise guys at all—or, rather, only in the strictly Scorsesean sense, as cheaters and scammers whose fake magic was humbled by the real revelation.
—
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2023
Also Abe Lincoln, but talkin’ like a real wise guy over here.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2023
Yet Trump, the unwise wise guy, will eventually face less kindly examiners.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2023
The series quickly began to suggest that there was little difference between killing on screen and killing in real life, that show business could be as cruel and capricious as organized crime, and that wiseguys could be as ridiculous and fame-obsessed as any actor or talent agent.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2023
Wayne is a wise guy who has no use for therapy.
—Wayne and Wanda, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Apr. 2023
Oh, a wise guy, eh?
—Matt Cooperlistings Coordinator, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2022
My father was not a wise guy or a tough guy.
—Eric Shawn, Fox News, 18 Nov. 2021
Who’s the wise guy who told me that the U.S.A. already has a fifty-first state (Staten Island)?
—Alex Watt, The New Yorker, 30 July 2022
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2023
Also Abe Lincoln, but talkin’ like a real wise guy over here.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2023
Yet Trump, the unwise wise guy, will eventually face less kindly examiners.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2023
The series quickly began to suggest that there was little difference between killing on screen and killing in real life, that show business could be as cruel and capricious as organized crime, and that wiseguys could be as ridiculous and fame-obsessed as any actor or talent agent.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2023
Wayne is a wise guy who has no use for therapy.
—Wayne and Wanda, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Apr. 2023
Oh, a wise guy, eh?
—Matt Cooperlistings Coordinator, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2022
My father was not a wise guy or a tough guy.
—Eric Shawn, Fox News, 18 Nov. 2021
Who’s the wise guy who told me that the U.S.A. already has a fifty-first state (Staten Island)?
—Alex Watt, The New Yorker, 30 July 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wise guy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near wise guy
Cite this Entry
“Wise guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wise%20guy. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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wise guy
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