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smart-ass

smart-ass

12 9.6
Acting annoyingly clever by making rude or sarcastic remarks
  • adjective
  • /smɑrt-æs/
  • Offensive
translation icon : sabelotodo
  • Man, don't be a smart-ass.
  • a smart-ass comment
  • a smart-ass remark
  • a smart-ass attitude

Examples

  • - I was being a smart-ass.

  • You're such a smart ass!

  • Cause again, I was like a funny, smart ass class clown kind of guy.

  • Sorry about the smart ass remarks.

  • Asking a lot of smart-ass questions.

  • Well, next time, don't be such a smart-ass.

  • I was going to respond with a smart-ass remark.

    Blog text (13)
  • The anxiety eased, and my old smart-ass personality came back.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I say that fondly because it was truly hard not to be a smart-ass at Oak Grove, a place where you got a detention for chewing gum.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Don't be such a smart-ass; your comments are starting to annoy everyone.

Synonyms

smart
vssmart-ass
  • Offensive
164 6.1

Rude and cheeky in what someone says

is more irritatingly clever with stronger sarcasm and disrespect
wise
vssmart-ass
  • Informal
149 8.4

Rude and cheeky to someone in authority

is primarily clever and irritating rather than just targeting authority
sarcastic
vssmart-ass
99 4.0

Using words that say the opposite of what you mean to mock or hurt someone

is clever and insolent specifically rather than only an ironic tone
alecky
vssmart-ass
  • Informal
2 9.5

Being cheeky and trying to be clever in a way that annoys others

is the same insolent cleverness but described more generally
wise aleck
vssmart-ass
  • Offensive
7.9

Being clever in a way that annoys others by sounding sarcastic

is broader insolent cleverness not limited to speech
clever-clever
vssmart-ass
  • Offensive
8.8

Someone who acts as if they are smarter than other people to show off

is more about sarcastic irritation and disrespect than proud cleverness

Antonyms

simpleton
  • Offensive
21 7.3

A person who is not very smart and trusts people easily

How Insolent

brazen
37 7.3
insolent
22 7.1
smart-ass
  • Offensive
12 9.6
cheeky
  • Informal
33 4.8
sassy
  • Informal
43 7.2

Surface Forms

smart-ass positive

Morphology

smart-ass = smart + ass (transparent) = smart + ass

Clear combination of 'smart' + the insulting noun 'ass'; the meaning 'insolently clever/annoyingly clever' follows directly from the components.

Etymology

Smart-ass joins smart ('clever') and ass ('donkey' or 'fool') to give a small picture of someone who shows off their cleverness in a rude way. So when smart-ass is used as an adjective, it means a comment or person is irritatingly clever or sarcastic.