1
as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred
you wouldn't be so smart-alecky if you were the one having the surgery
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
smart-alecky comments from a coworker about her new clothes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smart-alecky
Adjective
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Jang Theo was incredibly head over heels for her and showered her with gifts and cute gestures.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
11 Feb. 2025 -
This is her husband, and the texts are [in] that weird gray area…where, like, the texts are too cute.—
Vlada Gelman,
TVLine,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Ally and Jay are both sarcastic, too — their best lines are muttered under their breaths — and their repartee becomes more interesting than the bloody theatrics.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2025
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When Filip Hronek took a soft point shot that Darcy Kuemper stopped shortly after, the crowd responded with a sarcastic Bronx cheer.—
Harman Dayal,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Mike was a Sagittarius: adventurous, open-minded, playful, spontaneous, and reluctant to commit to anything.—
Erika W. Smith,
Vogue,
11 Feb. 2025
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At the beginning of the shoot, the team was in a good mood and almost playful.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The tone, like the title, is satiric and pitch black.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2025
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Gad originated the role of Elder Cunningham alongside Andrew Rannells' Elder Price in a satiric look at two young missionaries' misguided attempts to spread the gospel in a small Ugandan village.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Plant the carrot seed in deep, loose soil free of rocks with a slightly acidic pH. Instead of putting carrot plants where other members of the carrot family grew or are growing, consider placing it near a sage plant (a good companion for preventing carrot rust flies).—
Lauren Thomann,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Feb. 2025
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Bittersweet chocolate provides a pronounced bitter and even slightly acidic flavor.—
Gretchen McKay,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near smart-alecky
Cite this Entry
“Smart-alecky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smart-alecky. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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