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Glite Dictionary
wise to

wise to

39 8.2
Aware of a secret or dishonest plan
  • idiom
translation icon : consciente de
  • You would be wise to conduct a background check before hiring someone.

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Examples

  • In this situation, it is wise to keep your plans confidential.

  • Yes, but I think it would be wise to be very cautious for a time.

    Gandhi (1982)

  • I think it is wise to remember that it's all right to be by yourself with God.

  • I think it would be wise to put more men on this one.

    Dark Angel: The Ascent (1994)

  • It's always wise to have that backup plan, right?

  • The king would be wise to agree to Roman terms to avoid battle with the Romans.

  • You would be wise to ignore him.

    Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

  • Perhaps it is not wise to offend him.

    Troy (2004)

  • When the consumer or client is a deaf-blind person, it would be wise to provide further information.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Before ordering the vaccine, it may be wise to calculate how much fridge space is needed.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

knowledgeable
vswise to
92 4.1

A person who has learned a lot about a subject

is specific to knowing secret or inside information, not broad expertise
privy
vswise to
  • Formal
42 8.7

Knowing secret information that few people have

is knowledge specifically of hidden or dishonest inside information
well-informed
vswise to
33 3.5

A person who knows a lot about a subject or the world

emphasizes knowing hidden confidential matters rather than broad thorough knowledge
informed
vswise to
3.7

Someone who knows a lot about a subject because they have the facts

focuses on awareness of secret or inside wrongdoing rather than studied facts

Antonyms

ignorant
367 3.7

Not knowing about something or how it works

unaware
175 2.9

Not knowing that something is happening or true

How Aware

wise to
39 8.2
onto
  • Informal
442 5.3
aware
∞ 2.7
uninformed
42 3.7

Surface Forms

wise to positive

Morphology

wise + to

The adjective 'wise' (knowledgeable/judicious) combined with the prepositional marker 'to' directs that knowledge toward a target, so the sense 'aware of' is directly inferable from the constituents rather than being metaphorical. The pattern is not highly idiomatic and has cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely understand this usage.

Etymology

Wise to comes from the simple idea of becoming wise 'to' something, like learning how a trick works. If you were fooled once and then learn the trick, you are wise to it, so you can see it coming and the phrase means 'aware of' a secret or 'on to' a dishonest plan.