wiseacre

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle Dutch wijssegger (soothsayer), from Old High German wīzzago, wīzago (wise man, prophet, soothsayer), from Proto-West Germanic *wītagō (wise one; prophet). Cognate with Old English wītga (wise man, prophet). See also German Weissager (soothsayer, seer).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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wiseacre (plural wiseacres)

  1. One who feigns knowledge or cleverness; one who is wisecracking; an insolent upstart.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:know-it-all
    • 1869, Mark Twain, the Innocents Abroad, Random House, published 2003, pages 298–299:
      That other class of wiseacres who twist prophecy in such a manner as to make it promise the destruction and desolation of the same city, use judgement just as bad, since the city is in a very flourishing condition now, unhappily for them.
  2. (obsolete) A learned or wise man. [from before 1600]
    • 1776, George Colman, The Deuce is in him. A farce of two acts, page 24:
      A fool's paradise is better than a wiseacre's purgatory.
    • 1828, Henry Dana Ward, Free Masonry, page 46:
      Peter Gower, a Grecian, journied for cunning in Egypt, and in Syria, and in every land where the Venetians had planted Masonry; and winning entrance into all lodges of Masons, he learned much, and returned and dwelt in Grecia Magna; watching and becoming a mighty wiseacre, and greatly renowned, and here he framed a grat lodge at Groton, (Crotona. Mr. Locke,) and maked many Masons; wherefrom, in process of time, the art passed into England.
    • 1970, Daniel Halpern, Antæus, page 40:
      At their village the woman consulted the local wiseacre, explaining the difficulties her son-in-law was creating.

Translations

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Verb

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wiseacre (third-person singular simple present wiseacres, present participle wiseacring, simple past and past participle wiseacred)

  1. To act like a wiseacre; to wisecrack.