Wise — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb noun /ˈwīz/

Meaning & Definition of Wise

Wise (adjective)

  1. characterized by wisdom, marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment
  2. exercising or showing sound judgment, prudent
  3. evidencing or hinting at the possession of inside information, knowing

Wise (verb)

  1. to become informed or knowledgeable, learn —used with up
  2. to give instruction or information to, teach —usually used with up
  3. direct, guide
  4. advise, persuade
  5. to divert or impel in a given direction, send

Wise (noun)

  1. manner, way

Wise (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having or showing deep understanding and intelligent application of knowledge

    "a respected and wise old judge famous for her sensible rulings"

    similar: discerning, insightful, perceptive, prudent, sagacious, sage, sapient
    related: acute, penetrating, percipient, perspicacious, experienced, discriminating, discriminative, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, smart, cerebral, erudite, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, astute, clearheaded, piercing, sharp, shrewd, contemplative, reflective, thoughtful
    opposite: unperceptive, unwise
    near: dense, dull, obtuse, purblind, woodenheaded, brainless, dumb, feebleminded, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, knuckleheaded, moronic, silly, simple, slow, slow-witted, stupid, thoughtless, unintelligent, witless, undiscriminating

  2. having inside information

    "they fooled everyone else, but I'd heard them talking and was wise to their true intentions"

    similar: hip, knowing, in the know
    related: alerted, aware, clued (in), forewarned, informed, prepared, ready, warned, observant, observing, sharp, sharp-eyed, alert, attentive, open-eyed, vigilant, watchful, plugged-in, with-it
    opposite: unknowing
    near: oblivious, unaware, unconscious, uninformed, unwitting, heedless, unmindful, unprepared, unready, unwary

  3. suitable for bringing about a desired result under the circumstances

    "selling the stock just before it plunged in value was a wise move on your part"

    similar: advisable, desirable, expedient, judicious, politic, prudent, tactical
    related: advantageous, beneficial, profitable, useful, utilitarian, feasible, possible, practicable, practical, opportune, seasonable, timely, opportunistic, self-seeking
    opposite: impolitic, imprudent, inadvisable, inexpedient, injudicious, unwise
    near: impractical, profitless, unfeasible, unprofitable, inopportune, unseasonable, untimely

  4. making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred

    "you wouldn't be so wise if you were the one suffering from hemorrhoids"

    similar: cute, facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, smart-ass, smart-assed, smarty-pants, wiseass
    related: flighty, frivolous, cheeky, cocky, fresh, impertinent, impish, impudent, mischievous, playful, roguish, sassy, saucy, waggish, disrespectful, rude, breezy, casual, glib, inappropriate, thoughtless
    opposite: earnest, sincere
    near: grave, serious, sober, solemn, somber

  5. displaying or marked by rude boldness

    "she is competent, but she's always getting wise with the boss"

    similar: arch, audacious, bold, bold-faced, brash, brassbound, brassy, brazen, brazen-faced, cheeky, cocksure, cocky, fresh, impertinent, impudent, insolent, nervy, sassy, saucy
    related: assertive, forward, obtrusive, defiant, disrespectful, shameless, unabashed, unblushing, bluff, blunt, curt, cute, facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, lippy, mouthy
    opposite: meek, mousy, retiring, shy, timid
    near: demure, humble, modest, courteous, genteel, mannerly, polite, proper, deferential, respectful, abashed, ashamed, blushing, embarrassed, shamefaced, gentle, mild, inconspicuous, unobtrusive

Related Entry: Wise (up) (verb)

Wise (up) is a different word from Wise. The synonyms below are for wise (up), not for wise.

  1. to give information to

    "wised him up to some of the more effective tricks of salesmanship"

    similar: acquaint, advise, apprise, brief, catch up, clear, clue (in), enlighten, familiarize, fill in, hip, inform, instruct, tell, verse, keep (someone) posted, let someone know
    related: advertise, alert, notify, announce (to), disclose (to), assure, certify, convince, reassure, warrant, educate, lecture, school, teach, tutor, disabuse, disenchant, disillusion, undeceive
    near: misinform, mislead

  2. to come to an awareness of

    "she eventually wised up to the fact that he was taking advantage of her"

    similar: ascertain, catch on (to), discover, find out, get on (to), hear, learn, realize, see, get wind of
    related: hit (on or upon), tumble (to), descry, detect, encounter, espy, spot, calculate, dope (out), figure out, find, puzzle (out), discern, mind, note, observe, perceive, divine
    near: miss, overlook, disregard, ignore, forget, unlearn, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, enshroud, hide, mask, occult, screen, shroud, veil

Related Entry: Wise guy (noun)

Wise guy is a different word from Wise. The synonyms below are for wise guy, not for wise.

  1. a person who likes to show off in a clever but annoying way

    "if you weren't such a wise guy all the time, people might be more interested in hearing what you have to say"

    similar: smart aleck, smarty, smarty-pants, wiseacre, wiseass, wisenheimer
    related: know-all (chiefly British), know-it-all, wisecracker, hotshot, show-off

Related Entry: Wise man (noun)

Wise man is a different word from Wise. The synonyms below are for wise man, not for wise.

  1. as in seer

    similar: seer, pundit, sage, savant, scholar, polyhistor, polymath, Renaissance man, brain, genius, highbrow, intellect, intellectual, thinker, whiz, wizard, guru, mahatma, pandit, swami, yogi, rabbi, master, mentor, teacher
    opposite: blockhead, dodo, dolt, donkey, dope, dumbbell, dummy, dunce, fathead, fool, goon, half-wit, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, know-nothing, moron, nincompoop, ninny, nitwit, numskull, pinhead, simpleton, stock, turkey

Related Entry: Wise men (noun)

Wise men is a different word from Wise. The synonyms below are for wise men, not for wise.

  1. as in seers

    similar: seers, pundits, sages, savants, scholars, polyhistors, polymaths, Renaissance men, brains, geniuses, highbrows, intellects, intellectuals, thinkers, whizzes, wizards, gurus, mahatmas, pandits, swamis, yogis, rabbis, masters, mentors, teachers
    opposite: blockheads, dodoes, dolts, donkeys, dopes, dumbbells, dummies, dunces, fatheads, fools, goons, half-wits, idiots, ignoramuses, imbeciles, jackasses, know-nothings, morons, nincompoops, ninnies, nitwits, numskulls, pinheads, simpletons, stocks, turkeys

Related Entry: Wise guys (noun)

Wise guys is a different word from Wise. The synonyms below are for wise guys, not for wise.

  1. a person who likes to show off in a clever but annoying way

    "if you weren't such a wise guy all the time, people might be more interested in hearing what you have to say"

    similar: smart alecks, smarties, smarty-pants, wiseacres, wiseasses, wisenheimers
    related: know-alls (chiefly British), know-it-alls, wisecrackers, hotshots, show-offs

Related Entry: Worldly-wise (adjective)

Worldly-wise is a different word from Wise. The synonyms below are for worldly-wise, not for wise.

  1. having a wide and refined knowledge of the world especially from personal experience

    "her long career as a globe-trotting journalist has made her very worldly-wise"

    similar: cosmopolitan, smart, sophisticated, worldly
    related: suave, urbane, civilized, cultivated, cultured, polished, refined, experienced, knowing, practiced, schooled, seasoned, bored, cynical, jaded, skeptical, down-to-earth, pragmatic, realistic, sober
    opposite: guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive, unsophisticated, untutored, unworldly, wide-eyed
    near: callow, green, inexperienced, raw, parochial, provincial, rustic, philistine, uncivilized, uncultured, unrefined, childlike, simple, simpleminded, idealistic, impractical, uncritical, unknowing

Related Entry: Crack wise (phrase)

Crack wise is a different word from Wise. The synonyms below are for crack wise, not for wise.

  1. to make jokes

    "She's just cracking wise with the kids."

    similar: banter, chaff, fool, fun, gag, jape, jest, jive, joke, jolly, josh, kid, quip, wisecrack, yuk (slang)
    related: gibe, haze, jeer, mock, rag, rally, razz, rib, ridicule, tease, caricature, lampoon, parody, satirize, amuse, divert, entertain

Related Entry: In no wise (phrase)

In no wise is a different word from Wise. The synonyms below are for in no wise, not for wise.

  1. not in any degree, way, or under any condition

    "He was always complaining about his job, and I was in no wise surprised to hear that he had quit."

    similar: never, no, none, nothing, noway, nowise, by no means, nothing doing, on no account
    related: nowhere near, barely, hardly, marginally, narrowly, scarcely, slightly
    opposite: anyhow, anyway, anywise, at all, ever, half, however
    near: completely, extremely, full, fully, par excellence, right, very, altogether, exactly, somehow, someway, out

Related Entry: Penny-wise (adjective)

Penny-wise is a different word from Wise. The synonyms below are for penny-wise, not for wise.

  1. as in penny-pinching, penurious

    similar: cheap, close, closefisted, mean, miserly, parsimonious, penny-pinching, penurious, pinching, spare, stingy, stinting, tight, tightfisted, economical, economizing, frugal, provident, scrimping, sparing, thrifty, forehanded, foresighted, foresightful, prudent, conserving, preserving, saving
    opposite: prodigal, profligate, spendthrift, squandering, thriftless, unthrifty, wasteful, improvident, shortsighted, bountiful, charitable, freehanded, generous, liberal, munificent, openhanded, unselfish, unsparing, extravagant, indulgent, lavish

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Wise

The most common words with a similar meaning to Wise:

discerning, insightful, perceptive, prudent, sagacious, sage, sapient, hip, knowing, advisable, desirable, expedient, judicious, politic, tactical, cute, facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, smart-ass, smart-assed, smarty-pants, wiseass, arch, audacious, bold, bold-faced, brash, brassbound, brassy, brazen, brazen-faced, cheeky, cocksure, cocky, fresh

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Wise

Words with the opposite meaning of Wise:

unperceptive, unwise, unknowing, impolitic, imprudent, inadvisable, inexpedient, injudicious, earnest, sincere, meek, mousy, retiring, shy, timid

Related Words for Wise

acute, penetrating, percipient, perspicacious, experienced, discriminating, discriminative, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, cerebral, erudite, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, astute, clearheaded, piercing, sharp, shrewd, contemplative, reflective, thoughtful

Near Antonyms of Wise

dense, dull, obtuse, purblind, woodenheaded, brainless, dumb, feebleminded, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, knuckleheaded, moronic, silly, simple, slow, slow-witted, stupid, thoughtless, unintelligent, witless, undiscriminating, oblivious, unaware, unconscious, uninformed, unwitting, heedless, unmindful, unprepared

Word Forms of Wise

Inflections: wiser, wisest, wised, wising

Derived words: wisely (adverb), wiseness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Wise

Middle English wis, from Old English wīs; akin to Old High German wīs wise, Old English witan to know wit

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Wise

Words & Phrases Containing Wise

-wise, wise guy, wise man, wise in the ways of

Frequently Asked Questions about Wise

What does "Wise" mean?

"Wise" means characterized by wisdom, marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment. As an an adjective, a verb and a noun, it is defined as: characterized by wisdom, marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Wise"?

Other words for "Wise" include discerning, insightful, perceptive, prudent, sagacious, sage, sapient and hip. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Wise" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Wise"?

There are 135 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Wise". Common alternatives include discerning, insightful, perceptive, prudent, sagacious, sage, sapient, hip, knowing and advisable.

What is the opposite of "Wise"?

Antonyms of "Wise" include unperceptive, unwise, unknowing, impolitic, imprudent, inadvisable, inexpedient and injudicious. Near antonyms include dense, dull, obtuse and purblind.

How do you use "Wise" in a sentence?

Examples of "Wise" in a sentence: "a respected and wise old judge famous for her sensible rulings"; "they fooled everyone else, but I'd heard them talking and was wise to their true intentions"; "selling the stock just before it plunged in value was a wise move on your part".

Is "Wise" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Wise" can be used as an adjective, a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Wise" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Wise" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Wise"?

"Wise" is pronounced /ˈwīz/.