wisenheimer

or weis·en·heim·er

[ wahy-zuhn-hahy-mer ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a wiseacre or smart aleck.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wisenheimer¹

1915–20, Americanism; earlier also wiseheimer, equivalent to wise ¹ + - (en)heimer, extracted from surnames with this ending

Example Sentences

A few times, he pushed back with a brief display of his New York wisenheimer attitude.

From Washington Post

He was a wisenheimer with a good heart.

From Wall Street Journal

At heart, as onscreen, they say, he is that wisenheimer with an arsenal of impressions who cracked up at his own sketches and “Weekend Update” one-liners.

From New York Times

But it is also possible that this column will serve as a clarion call to every smart aleck and wisenheimer and cyber-vandal out there.

From Washington Post

It’s a nice touch that Kirk’s such a fan of the late 20th century wisenheimer rappers as they do, of course, mention “a pinch on the neck from Mr Spock” in their tune Intergalactic.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• know-it-all
• wise guy