Know-it-all

Know-it-all
Know-it-all Know"-it-all`, n. One who knows everything; hence, a person who makes pretension to great knowledge, especially one whose didactic conversational habit conspicuously reveals his belief that he has superior knowledge on many subjects; a wiseacre; a know-all; -- usually ironical. [Colloq. & pejorative]

Note: the use of this term implies that the speaker disapproves of this behavior, and may think that it is unjustified [1913 Webster +PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • know-it-all — know it alls N COUNT (disapproval) If you say that someone is a know it all, you are critical of them because they think that they know a lot more than other people. [AM, INFORMAL] (in BRIT, use know all) …   English dictionary

  • Know-it-all — or know all is an epithet applied to any person who exhibits the belief that he or she possesses a superior intellect and wealth of knowledge, and shows a determination to demonstrate his perceived superiority at every opportunity. ee also* Whiz… …   Wikipedia

  • know-it-all — n informal especially AmE someone who behaves as if they know everything used to show disapproval British Equivalent: know all …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • know-it-all — [nō′it ôl΄] adj. Informal pretending or claiming to know much about almost everything n. Informal a know it all person …   English World dictionary

  • know-it-all — know it ,all noun count INFORMAL someone who is annoying because they think they know everything …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • know-it-all — index bigot Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • know-it-all — know′ it all n. a person who acts as though he or she had better knowledge or understanding than anyone else • Etymology: 1930–35 …   From formal English to slang

  • know-it-all — [n] intellectual, smart aleck braggart, brain*, smarty pants*, walking encyclopedia, windbag, wiseacre, wise guy*; concepts 412,423 …   New thesaurus

  • know-it-all — noun someone who thinks he knows everything and refuses to accept advice or information from others • Syn: ↑know all • Usage Domain: ↑colloquialism • Hypernyms: ↑egotist, ↑egoist, ↑swellhead * * * …   Useful english dictionary

  • know-it-all — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms know it all : singular know it all plural know it alls informal a know all …   English dictionary

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