Wiseacres

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who often makes sarcastic or witty remarks, typically in a manner that is annoying or presumptuous
2. someone who displays an excessive degree of cleverness, often to the point of being irritating
3. an individual known for their humorous and often opinionated commentary, especially in a way that seeks to show off their knowledge

Etymology: Wiseacres began as a word for a seer. Its root is Middle Dutch "wijssegger", meaning "soothsayer", built from the same stock as Old High German "wīzzago", a word for a wise man or prophet. The English form "wiseacre" came in through that Dutch-German line, and the Old English "wītga" shows the word was once at home in Anglo-Saxon as well. The shift from prophecy to pomposity is the striking part. A figure who claimed to foresee the future gradually became a figure who claimed to know everything, and then one who wanted everyone to know he knew it. Over time the word stopped praising wisdom and started mocking the display of it. The plural "wiseacres" is simply the form used for more than one such person.

Synonyms: smart alecks, know-it-alls