smart al·eck
ˈsmärt-ˌa-lik 
-ˌe-
variants
or less commonly smart alec
: an obnoxiously conceited and self-assertive person with pretensions to smartness or cleverness
smart-aleck
adjective
smart-al·ecky
-kē,
-ki
variants
or smart-aleck
or less commonly smart-alec
: like, typical of, or being a smart aleck : marked by cockiness and conceit : concerned with or striving for smartness and cleverness for their own sake or at the expense of seriousness and responsibility
had never talked that way to the smart-aleck kid before—
J. H. Reese
J. H. Reesethe smart-aleck way you were talking—Alexander Saxton
Alexander Saxtondismayingly intelligent and a shade smart-alecky—Jean Stafford
Jean Staffordfive smart-alecky collegians who conspired to rob the till—Bennett Cerf
Bennett CerfExamples of smart aleck in a Sentence
Noun
some smart aleck in the audience kept shouting clever insults at the nervous speaker
Recent Examples on the Web
Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
This fuzzy, snout-nosed, smart aleck extraterrestrial whose name was Gordon Shumway crashed in the suburban garage of the Tanner family in California after escaping from the doomed planet of Melmac, which was destroyed by nuclear war.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Newton scored and so did backcourt mate Cam Spencer, that different style of smart aleck, who had 20.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2024
Perry portrayed sweet, sarcastic smart aleck Chandler Bing for 10 seasons on Friends, garnering an Emmy nomination.
—EW.com, 29 Oct. 2023
In this series launch, Billingham unveils a brash — and battered — smart aleck protagonist.
—Erin Douglass, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2023
With a smart aleck’s wit and a knack for clear-eyed lyrics, the Brooklyn singer is a sympathetic narrator.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 5 May 2023
In real life, however, Mr. Jaffee was the opposite of a smart aleck: a genteel, unassuming man whose in-person humor was delivered with a wink, not a cudgel.
—Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2023
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Noun
And here's the good news for Love: As a counter to address the smart aleck defenses, offenses started running the ball more against units deployed to defend the pass.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
This fuzzy, snout-nosed, smart aleck extraterrestrial whose name was Gordon Shumway crashed in the suburban garage of the Tanner family in California after escaping from the doomed planet of Melmac, which was destroyed by nuclear war.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Newton scored and so did backcourt mate Cam Spencer, that different style of smart aleck, who had 20.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2024
Perry portrayed sweet, sarcastic smart aleck Chandler Bing for 10 seasons on Friends, garnering an Emmy nomination.
—EW.com, 29 Oct. 2023
In this series launch, Billingham unveils a brash — and battered — smart aleck protagonist.
—Erin Douglass, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2023
With a smart aleck’s wit and a knack for clear-eyed lyrics, the Brooklyn singer is a sympathetic narrator.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 5 May 2023
In real life, however, Mr. Jaffee was the opposite of a smart aleck: a genteel, unassuming man whose in-person humor was delivered with a wink, not a cudgel.
—Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Smart aleck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smart%20aleck. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smart aleck
noun
smart al·eck
ˈsmärt-ˌal-ik
-ˌel-
: a person who likes to show off in a clever or witty but annoying way
smart-alecky
adjective
-ˌal-ə-kē,
-ˌel-
or smart-aleck
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