1
as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred
a talk show host who's known for his quick quips and smart-aleck observations on current events
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
a smart-aleck reply that was met with a slap in the face
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also smart alec
as in wise guy
a person who likes to show off in a clever but annoying way
some smart aleck in the audience kept shouting clever insults at the nervous speaker
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Recent Examples of smart-aleck
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2024
Perry portrayed sweet, sarcastic smart aleck Chandler Bing for 10 seasons on Friends, garnering an Emmy nomination.
—EW.com, 29 Oct. 2023
In this series launch, Billingham unveils a brash — and battered — smart aleck protagonist.
—Erin Douglass, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2023
Declan Miller – a recent widower, ballroom dancer, and devoted smart aleck – has a full plate.
—Monitor Contributors, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2023
With a smart aleck’s wit and a knack for clear-eyed lyrics, the Brooklyn singer is a sympathetic narrator.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 5 May 2023
In real life, however, Mr. Jaffee was the opposite of a smart aleck: a genteel, unassuming man whose in-person humor was delivered with a wink, not a cudgel.
—Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2023
The Idea Oven — a suggestion box for half-baked whims, inspirations and notions for new products, businesses or innovations — was a regular feature in this column at the turn of the century (yes, this century, smart aleck).
—Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 30 Apr. 2021
Ellie is a smart aleck 13-year-old with a mysterious immunity to the virus.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 Feb. 2023
Noun
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
Perry portrayed sweet, sarcastic smart aleck Chandler Bing for 10 seasons on Friends, garnering an Emmy nomination.
—EW.com, 29 Oct. 2023
In this series launch, Billingham unveils a brash — and battered — smart aleck protagonist.
—Erin Douglass, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2023
Declan Miller – a recent widower, ballroom dancer, and devoted smart aleck – has a full plate.
—Monitor Contributors, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2023
With a smart aleck’s wit and a knack for clear-eyed lyrics, the Brooklyn singer is a sympathetic narrator.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 5 May 2023
In real life, however, Mr. Jaffee was the opposite of a smart aleck: a genteel, unassuming man whose in-person humor was delivered with a wink, not a cudgel.
—Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2023
The Idea Oven — a suggestion box for half-baked whims, inspirations and notions for new products, businesses or innovations — was a regular feature in this column at the turn of the century (yes, this century, smart aleck).
—Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 30 Apr. 2021
Ellie is a smart aleck 13-year-old with a mysterious immunity to the virus.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smart-aleck
Adjective
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The smallest monkey in the world, these cute critters weigh in at just over 4 ounces.Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024
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The Boots and Barkley Wave Scratcher ($15) from Target is not as cute, but my cats love it.Medea Giordano, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Others rocked up in hazmat suits in a sarcastic swipe at China’s stringent Covid control measures, which saw Shanghai locked down for roughly two months and sparked rare protests.Chris Lau, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024
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The sentiment is respectable — gun violence is bad — but the song’s satire feels half-baked because Martin just doesn’t have the sarcastic sensibility needed.Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Tennessee is currently a 2.5-point favorite, an indication the wise guys believe Love is unlikely to play.Rob Reischel, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
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The wise guys prefer the Bucs’ Mike Evans to follow suit, but my money’s on Godwin.Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2024
Adjective
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That includes Andrew Yancy, an extremely tall and flippant former Miami detective who was reassigned to work for the sheriff’s department in the Keys until he got temporarily suspended from that job, too.Jen Chaney, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2024
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On the Kyle Meredith With… podcast, Hale said that his character is supposed to represent the flippant, sexist culture of the 1970s.Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 25 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Mann at his most satiric has Settembrini contributing an essay to a multivolume project whose purpose is to end suffering.George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
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Others are satiric vignettes—pointed takedowns of sham humanitarians, sham foreign journalists, sham white saviors and their sham schemes to save the continent—whose villains can read more like stock inventions than like surprising ones.Alexis Okeowo, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near smart-aleck
Cite this Entry
“Smart-aleck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smart-aleck. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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