wise
adjective
having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.
wise
1 American
[wahyz]
/ waɪz /
adjective
-
wiser,
comparative
-
wisest
superlative
-
having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.
- Synonyms:
- intelligent, sagacious, sensible, sage
-
characterized by or showing such power; judicious or prudent.
a wise decision.
- Antonyms:
- foolish
-
possessed of or characterized by scholarly knowledge or learning; learned; erudite.
wise in the law.
-
having knowledge or information as to facts, circumstances, etc..
We are wiser for their explanations.
-
Slang. informed; in the know.
You're wise, so why not give us the lowdown?
-
Archaic. having knowledge of magic or witchcraft.
verb (used with object)
wised,
wising
verb phrase
idioms
-
get wise,
-
to become informed.
-
to be or become presumptuous or impertinent.
Don't get wise with me, young man!
-
-
wise to, familiar or aware; cognizant of; no longer deceived by a lie, confidence game, trick, or misdirection: Also beget wise to
In the end, the investors were wise to the fraud.
-
put / set someone wise, to inform a person; let a person in on a secret or generally unknown fact.
Some of the others put him wise to what was going on.
wise
2
American
[wahyz]
/ waɪz /
noun
wise
3
American
[wahyz]
/ waɪz /
verb (used with object)
wised,
wising
-
Chiefly Scot.
-
to instruct.
-
to induce or advise.
-
to show the way to; guide.
-
-
Scot. to direct the course of; cause to turn.
Wise
4
American
[wahyz]
/ waɪz /
noun
-
Isaac Mayer 1819–1900, U.S. rabbi and educator, born in Bohemia: founder of Reform Judaism in the U.S.
-
Stephen Samuel, 1874–1949, U.S. rabbi, theologian, and Zionist leader; born in Hungary.
-wise
5
American
wise
1
British
/ waɪz /
adjective
-
possessing, showing, or prompted by wisdom or discernment
-
prudent; sensible
-
shrewd; crafty
a wise plan
-
well-informed; erudite
-
aware, informed, or knowing (esp in the phrase none the wiser )
-
slang in the know, esp possessing inside information (about)
-
archaic possessing powers of magic
-
slang cocksure or insolent
-
informal (often foll by to) to be or become aware or informed (of something) or to face up (to facts)
-
slang (often foll by to) to inform or warn (of)
verb
-wise
2
British
combining form
-
Also: -ways. indicating direction or manner
clockwise
likewise
-
with reference to
profitwise
businesswise
wise
3
British
/ waɪz /
noun
wise
More Idioms
Usage
What does -wise mean? The suffix -wise meaning “direction” or "a way of doing." It is occasionally used in a variety of everyday terms, particularly to indicate a movement. The form -wise comes from Old English wíse, meaning “way, manner; style, melody.” Yes, melody. Discover why at our entry for the related term verse.
Commonly Confused
The suffix -wise is old in the language in adverbs referring to manner, direction, etc.: crosswise; lengthwise. Coinages like marketwise, saleswise, and weatherwise are often criticized, perhaps because of their association with the media: Otherwise—or moneywise, as they were already saying in the motion-picture industry—Hollywood was at the crest of its supercolossal glory. This suffix should not be confused with the adjective wise1 , which appears in such compound words as streetwise and worldly-wise.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of wise1
First recorded before 900; Middle English wis(e), Old English wīs; cognate with Dutch wijs, German weise, Old Norse vīss, Gothic (un)weis “ignorant, unlearned”; akin to wit 1, wit 2
Origin of wise2
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English: “way, manner; style, melody”; cognate with Dutch wijze, German Weise “tune, melody; (figurative) manner, way,” Old Norse vīsa “verse, stanza, short poem,” Danish vise “ballad”; akin to Greek eîdos (from weîdos ) “form, shape”
Origin of wise3
First recorded before 900; Middle English wisen, “to advise, reveal, guide,” Old English wīsian “to show the way, guide, direct,” akin to wīs wise 1; cognate with Old High German wīsan, Old Norse vīsa “to point out, indicate”
Explanation
The adjective wise describes someone who has experience and a deep understanding. Your wise older sister always gives the best advice. When you make a decision based on careful thought and good judgment, you've made a wise choice. If someone calls you a wise guy, though, it's not a compliment: it's likely to be a criticism of your joke at someone else's expense or your rudeness. To wise off (or sometimes, to be wise), has a similar meaning: to talk back or be disrespectful.
Vocabulary lists containing wise
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Bright Ideas: Synonyms For "Smart"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I do not think this is a wise use of public money and I think most people looking at the £11,000 figure would agree.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
A word to the wise: Be careful about comparing household finances with government finances.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
In a Chicago coffee shop in 1979, Bob Dole offered a wise political observation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
It would be wise to think about this deal not as an effort to make the entertainment industry more efficient, or to create better movies and TV.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
I pleaded, but Rostam had become a donkey of Divine Providence—a wise ass of the first order.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Lindsay Wise is a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, where she covers Congress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The lawsuit, filed in South Carolina state court on Thursday by Atlantic Coast Life Insurance Co. and Southern Atlantic Re, comes days after state Insurance Director Michael Wise petitioned to place both companies into rehabilitation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Though it’s always best to avoid or at least minimize long-lasting card balances, Wise said “it’s maybe a bit more urgent.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
The next morning, the judge named attorney Andrea Sheridan Ordin as special master and Dr. Paul H. Wise as independent monitor to enforce the agreement, over the objections of federal officials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Dead or alive, the Butcher King still took the Wise Masters unawares.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
In Rio de Janeiro, U.S. -wise Brazilian Businessman Valentim Bougas urged Latin Americans to follow the ex ample of European nations, which met in Paris last summer to canvass their needs.
From Time Magazine Archive
Likewise, New Yorker Music Critic Winthrop Sargeant attacked the suffix -wise, as in taxwise.
From Time Magazine Archive
When the shortcomings of any illustrious man save Borrow are under discussion, 'les defauts de ses qualites' is the criticism- -wise as charitable—which they evoke.
From The Life of George Borrow by Herbert George Jenkins
Taking the slower route of chipping away at your debt with your income, rather than your retirement savings, is the wiser option here.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Thirteen years since leaving the Bernabeu Stadium, he is older, greyer, and perhaps a little wiser.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
“She was way wiser beyond her years and now gone too soon,” he added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
He's a little bit older, a little bit wiser.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
My sister did make it back across the border, and my parents were none the wiser.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
If those aren’t the wisest words for Latinos to embrace for the coming year, I’m not sure what is.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2025
With everyone worrying over my safety, a step-by-step approach seemed wisest, so I started by purchasing a 20-mile-per-hour e-bike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
Among the zaniness there’s an emotional arc, a dance of personal growth and backsliding, and depending on what the scene requires, he might be the dumbest guy in the room or the wisest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025
"Parents were worried about their children going into school," Smit told NOS Radio, "so it was wisest to have a day of calm and then go back on Monday."
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025
It was one of their pithiest sayings, and one of the wisest, too.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
The fable of what transpires when a young man raised by elves goes back to investigate his human roots, it manages to be both genuinely sweet and just a teensy bit wised up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
That's something people have really wised up to.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2022
Olivia Munn also used to apply toothpaste to her pimples but has since wised up to this acne treatment hack.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 6, 2022
They wised up at some point, whereas I still hadn’t learned.
From The Verge ● Dec. 13, 2021
"I just got wised up to something funny the last two days," remarked Wilson.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
But now, experts say, Milei is wising up to the game, giving up some campaign promises while maneuvering to secure enough other priorities to claim victory.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2024
While U.S. players have led the development of retail media networks, European retailers are wising up to the opportunity.
From Reuters ● Jun. 12, 2023
“I hope he’s wising up to the stupidity of what he’s doing.”
From Washington Times ● Feb. 27, 2022
Increasingly, people are wising up to both the company’s serious threat as a monopoly and its willingness to seek domination at the expense of the health of its blue-collar workers.
From Slate ● Nov. 30, 2018
So I heard; his nibs here," indicating the bartender, "has been wising me up, a lot.
From The Lonesome Trail and Other Stories by B. M. Bower
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
