English Explanatory Dictionary

smart aleck

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. One who is given to obnoxious or insolent humor.
  2. One who is pretentious about their own cleverness or knowledge.
  3. One who is obnoxiously self-assured; a show off.
  4. A well-dressed person.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-smart aleck.wav

Word forms

smart aleck smart alecks smart alec

Etymology

Aleck is a nickname for the male given name Alexander. The phrase smart aleck is possibly derived from the name of Aleck Hoag, a 19th-century American con man and thief.

Synonyms

wise guy smarty smarty pants smartmouth wise aleck know-it-all clever dick smart ass wise ass wiseacre Buddha clever clogs know-all smart aleck wiseass wise-ass wisenheimer

Related words

smartass

Derived words

smart-aleck smart-aleckism smart-alecky
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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