smart aleck

or smart al·ec

[ smahrt-al-ik ]
See synonyms for: smart alecksmart aleckysmart-aleckysmartalecky on Thesaurus.com

nounInformal.

Origin of smart aleck

1
An Americanism first recorded in 1860–65; generic use of Aleck, nickname for Alexander

Other words from smart aleck

  • smart-al·eck·y, smart-al·eck, adjective

Words Nearby smart aleck

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use smart aleck in a sentence

  • So much of the promise of the show is that you have a smart aleck detective who will never stop goofing around.

  • In the series' pilot, smart-aleck ex-lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) tells Abed that he has Asperger's syndrome.

    Hollywood Takes on Autism | Jace Lacob | February 24, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The result was a greasy coat collar and the general tout ensemble of the genus "smart aleck."

    Remarks | Bill Nye
  • For if we don't run across that bag mighty soon we're bound to make it warm for this smart aleck.

    The Banner Boy Scouts | George A. Warren
  • Time was you batted a young smart aleck down, told him to go get dry behind the ears before he shot off his mouth.

    Eight Keys to Eden | Mark Irvin Clifton
  • Before he got there he started a guessing contest in that smart-aleck burg.

    The Modern Railroad | Edward Hungerford
  • "The young squirt was always a Smart-Aleck and a blow-hard," he said.

    Poor White | Sherwood Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for smart aleck

smart aleck

/ (ˈælɪk) /


nounplural smart alecks
  1. informal an irritatingly oversmart person

Origin of smart aleck

1
C19: from Aleck, Alec, short for Alexander

Derived forms of smart aleck

  • smart-aleck or smart-alecky, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with smart aleck

smart aleck

An impudent or obnoxiously self-assertive individual, a wise guy, as in New teachers often have a hard time coping with the smart alecks in their classes. This expression, dating from the mid-1800s, probably alluded to a person of this description who was named Alec or Alexander, but his identity has been lost.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.