Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

smarty-pants

noun

/ˈsmɑːrti pænts/

Definition

A person who behaves as if they know everything or who tries to impress others with their intelligence in a way that is annoying.

Examples

Tom always has to correct everyone—he’s such a smarty-pants!
At first, her answers impressed me, but soon I realized she was just being a smarty-pants.

Meaning

Smarty-pants refers to someone who is overly confident in their knowledge and often shows off that knowledge in a way that can come across as irritating or pretentious.