Smartass

adj, noun, verb, slang

adj, noun, verb, slang ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Synonym of know-it-all, an obnoxious clever person or a person making obnoxious efforts to seem clever by acting or behaving as if they know everything. mildly, vulgar
  2. 2
    An insolent person, especially one who makes snide remarks. mildly, vulgar

    "Lots of luck, smartass."

Verb
  1. 1
    To talk like a smartass, with a lot of snide remarks. slang

    "I smartassed and smack-talked half of the interview, but as I relaxed a bit more and genuinely talked with them, a strange thing happened."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Related to or characteristic of a smartass; irritatingly clever or smug. not-comparable, slang

    "I have had quite enough of your smartass remarks."

Synonyms

All synonyms
know-it-allpedantsmart alecsmart alecksmart aleck

Example

More examples

"Here we go: an arrogant smartass again."

Etymology

From smart + -ass.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.