1
as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred
you wouldn't be so smart-alecky if you were the one having the surgery
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
smart-alecky comments from a coworker about her new clothes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of smart-alecky
Cleverbot veers from sounding like a winsome waif to coming across as a drunk, smart-alecky fifteen-year-old who talks in non sequiturs.
—
Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smart-alecky
Adjective
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The buzzy long-sleeve shirt has a cute ribbed design, and it’s made of soft, stretchy fabric that doesn’t feel overly restrictive.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
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This cute camisole is perfect for lounging around or pairing with your favorite sweatpants or leggings.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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His witty, sarcastic, and often controversial commentary is the soundtrack to a generation of wrestling fans.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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She’s matched wonderfully by Cooke, who leans into her actual Manchester accent to give Cherry a stroppy, sarcastic bent and whose body looks absolutely banging wrapped in an array of oxblood, maroon, and cerise minidresses.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Mixing prints takes the trend to an even more playful approach, so have fun combining plaids with stripes and dots with florals.—
Gabrielle Porcaro,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Sep. 2025
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At the Collina Strada show, where founder and creative director Hillary Taymour often presents a playful but politically salient concept, models came out in twos.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Mugs and satirical commemorative plates are some of the items that can be seen on display in a local gift shop.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
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The 2025 South Korean satirical black comedy thriller is co-written, produced and directed by Park Chan-wook (Decision To Leave, Old Boy, The Handmaiden).—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Rainwater reacts with carbon dioxide in the air and becomes slightly acidic, wearing away at rock exposed on the Earth’s surface.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
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Producing such minerals in a lifeless place would probably require acidic conditions or high temperatures—and the area showed signs of neither.—
David W. Brown,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smart-alecky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smart-alecky. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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