wise

Showing good judgement or the benefit of experience.

Adjective

  1. Showing good judgement or the benefit of experience.
    • Storing extra food for the winter was a wise decision.
    • They were considered the wise old men of the administration.

    Antonyms: improvident

  2. Disrespectful.
    • Don't get wise with me!
  3. Aware, informed (to something).
    • Be careful: the boss is wise to your plan to call out sick.

Origin

From Middle English wys, wyse, from Old English wīs (“wise”), from Proto-Germanic *wīsaz (“knowledgeable, wise”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéydos (“seeing; knowledge”), from *weyd- (“to see”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian wiis (“wise”), Dutch wijs (“wise”), German weis, weise (“wise”), Low German wies (“wise; clever”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish vis (“wise”), Icelandic vís (“wise; certain”), Gothic *𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (*weis, “wise”); also Irish fios (“knowledge; information”), Manx fys (“knowledge; information”), Scottish Gaelic fhios, fios (“knowledge; information”), Welsh gwys, gwŷs (“citation, summons”), Latin videō (“to look, perceive, see; to note, observe; to comprehend, understand”), Greek είδος (eídos, “form, kind, type”), Albanian vizë (“line, stripe, track; dash”), Latvian veids (“form, kind, mode, type”), Lithuanian veidas (“face; appearance, aspect,...

Forms

wiser more wise wisest most wise wize

Synonyms

astute clairvoyant deep frood grounded judicious oracular perspicacious politic profound prudent quick-witted reasonable sagacious sage sapient sensible wise witful

Antonyms

unwise foolish

Hyponyms

shrewd streetwise

Related

intelligent learned wily

Derived

blow wise to crack wise get wise in like wise it is a wise child that knows his own father it is easy to be wise after the event not wise penny wise and pound foolish put someone wise seawise three wise men wisdom wise aleck wise-apple wise apple wise as an owl wise-ass wiseass wise beyond one's years wisecrack wise-cracking wise gal wise-guy wise guy

Noun

  1. Way, manner, or method.
    • In such wise that all the beasts, great and small, came to the court save Reynard the Fox. - 1481, William Caxton, The History of Reynard the...
    • Now the birth of Iesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Ioseph (before they came together) shee was found with childe of the holy Ghost. - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version),...
    • […] the prize Dead Greece vouchsafes to living eyes, — Her Art for ever in fresh wise From hour to hour rejoicing me. - 1850, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Burden of Nineveh, lines 2–5:

Origin

From Middle English wise, from Old English wīse, from Proto-Germanic *wīsō. Cognate with Dutch wijze, German Weise, Norwegian vis, Swedish visa, vis, Italian guisa, Spanish guisa. Compare -wise. Doublet of guise.

Forms

wises

Derived

-wise alwise nowise

Verb dialectal

  1. To instruct.
  2. To advise; induce.
  3. To show the way, guide.
  4. To direct the course of, pilot.
  5. To cause to turn.

Origin

From Middle English wisen (“to advise, direct”), from Old English wisian (“to show the way, guide, direct”), from Proto-West Germanic *wīsōn, from Proto-Germanic *wīsōną (“to show the way, dispense knowledge”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know”). Compare Dutch wijzen (“to indicate, point out”), German weisen (“to show, indicate”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål vise (“to show”), Norwegian Nynorsk visa (“to show”).

Forms

wises wising wised

Verb Entry 4

  1. To become wise.
  2. Usually with "up", to inform or learn.
    • Mo wised him up about his situation.
    • After Mo had a word with him, he wised up.

Forms

wises wising wised wize

Wikipedia

wise