wise guy

W w

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [wahyz gahy]
- /waɪz gaɪ/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [wahyz gahy]
- /waɪz gaɪ/

Definitions of wise guy words

noun wise guy Informal. a cocksure, conceited, and often insolent person; smart aleck: He has a reputation for being a wise guy. 1
noun wise guy sb overly self-assured 1
countable noun wise guy If you say that someone is a wise guy, you dislike the fact that they think they are very clever and always have an answer for everything. 0
countable noun wise guy A wise guy is a member of the Mafia. 0
noun wise guy Used other than as an idiom: see wise,‎ guy. 0
noun wise guy One who is insolent or flippant; one who makes jokes or perpetrates pranks. 0

See all 8 definitions of wise guy

Information block about the term

Origin of wise guy

First appearance:

before 1895

One of the 18% newest English words

An Americanism dating back to 1895-1900

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Wise guy

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Wise guy

wise guy popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 40% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 64% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

wise guy usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for wise guy

adj wise guy

arrogant — Someone who is arrogant behaves in a proud, unpleasant way towards other people because they believe that they are more important than others.
biggety — conceited or self-important.
cocky — Someone who is cocky is so confident and sure of their abilities that they annoy other people.
cold-shoulder — to snub; show indifference to.
high-and-mighty — haughty; arrogant.

noun wise guy

backchat — the act of answering back, esp impudently
hellion — a disorderly, troublesome, rowdy, or mischievous person.
impertinence — unmannerly intrusion or presumption; insolence.
instigator — to cause by incitement; foment: to instigate a quarrel.
know it all — a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.

adjective wise guy

highhanded — Alternative spelling of high-handed.
hotdogger — One who hotdogs; a sporting show-off.

All 25 Synonyms of wise guy