Adjacent Words

Wise definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WISE, a. s as z. [G., to know., L.]
1. Properly, having knowledge; hence, having the power of discerning and judging correctly, or of discriminating between what is true and what is false; between what is fit and proper, and what is improper; as a wise prince; a wise magistrate. Solomon was deemed the wisest man. But a man may be speculatively and not practically wise. Hence,
2. Discrete and judicious in the use or applications of knowledge; choosing laudable ends, and the best means to accomplish them. This is to be practically wise. Genesis 41.
3. Skillful; dextrous.
They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. Jeremiah 4.
4. Learned; knowing; as the wise and the unwise. Romans 1.
5. Skilled in arts, science, philosophy, or in magic and divination. 1 Samuel 14.
6. Godly; pious. Proverbs 13.
--The holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise to salvation. 2 Timothy 3.
7. Skilled in hidden arts; a sense somewhat ironical; as the wise woman of Brainford.
8.Dictated or guided by wisdom; containing wisdom; judicious; well adapted to produce good effects; applicable to things; as a wise saying; a wise scheme or plan; wise conduct or management; a wise determination.
9. Becoming a wise man; grave; discrete; as wise deportment.
WISE, n. s as z. [G.] Manner; way of being or acting.
This song she sings in most commanding wise.
In fittest wise.
In the foregoing form, this word is obsolete, the use of it is now very limited. It is common in the following phrases.
1. In any wise.
If he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it-- Leviticus 27.
Fret not thyself in any wise. Psalms 37.
2. On this wise.
On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel. Numbers 6.
3. In no wise. He shall in no wise lose his reward. Matthew 10.
It is used in composition, as in likewise, otherwise, lengthwise, etc. By mistake, ways is often used for it; as lengthways, for lengthwise.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: having or prompted by wisdom or discernment; "a wise leader"; "a wise and perceptive comment" [ant: foolish]
2: marked by the exercise of good judgment or common sense in practical matters; "judicious use of one's money"; "a wise decision" [syn: judicious, wise, heady]
3: evidencing the possession of inside information [syn: knowing, wise, wise to]
4: improperly forward or bold; "don't be fresh with me"; "impertinent of a child to lecture a grownup"; "an impudent boy given to insulting strangers"; "Don't get wise with me!" [syn: fresh, impertinent, impudent, overbold, smart, saucy, sassy, wise] n
1: a way of doing or being; "in no wise"; "in this wise"
2: United States Jewish leader (born in Hungary) (1874-1949) [syn: Wise, Stephen Samuel Wise]
3: United States religious leader (born in Bohemia) who united reform Jewish organizations in the United States (1819-1900) [syn: Wise, Isaac Mayer Wise]

Merriam Webster's

I. biographical name Stephen Samuel 1874-1949 American (Hungarian-born) rabbi II. biographical name Thomas James 1859-1937 English bibliophile & forger

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English w?se; akin to Old High German w?sa manner, Greek eidos form, idein to see — more at wit Date: before 12th century manner, way <in any wise> II. adjective (wiser; wisest) Etymology: Middle English wis, from Old English w?s; akin to Old High German w?s wise, Old English witan to know — more at wit Date: before 12th century 1. a. characterized by wisdom ; marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment b. exercising or showing sound judgment ; prudent <a wise investor> 2. a. evidencing or hinting at the possession of inside information ; knowing b. possessing inside information <the police got wise to his whereabouts> c. crafty, shrewd d. aware of or informed about a particular matter — usually used in the comparative in negative constructions with the <was none the wiser about their plans> 3. archaic skilled in magic or divination 4. insolent, smart-alecky, fresh <a tough kid with a wise mouth> • wisely adverb • wiseness noun Synonyms: wise, sage, sapient, judicious, prudent, sensible, sane mean having or showing sound judgment. wise suggests great understanding of people and of situations and unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them <wise beyond his tender years>. sage suggests wide experience, great learning, and wisdom <the sage advice of my father>. sapient suggests great sagacity and discernment <the sapient musings of an old philosopher>. judicious stresses a capacity for reaching wise decisions or just conclusions <judicious parents using kindness and discipline in equal measure>. prudent suggests exercise of the restraint of sound practical wisdom and discretion <a prudent decision to wait out the storm>. sensible applies to action guided and restrained by good sense and rationality <a sensible woman who was not fooled by flattery>. sane stresses mental soundness, rationality, and levelheadedness <remained sane even in times of crises>. III. verb (wised; wising) Date: 1905 transitive verb to give instruction or information to ; teach — usually used with up <wise him up about procedures> intransitive verb to become informed or knowledgeable ; learn — used with up IV. transitive verb (wised; wising) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English w?sian; akin to Old Norse v?sa to show the way, Old English w?s wise Date: before 12th century 1. chiefly Scottish a. direct, guide b. advise, persuade 2. chiefly Scottish to divert or impel in a given direction ; send

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. adj. & v. --adj. 1 a having experience and knowledge and judiciously applying them. b (of an action, behaviour, etc.) determined by or showing or in harmony with such experience and knowledge. 2 sagacious, prudent, sensible, discreet. 3 having knowledge. 4 suggestive of wisdom (with a wise nod of the head). 5 US colloq. a alert, crafty. b (often foll. by to) having (usu. confidential) information (about). --v.tr. & intr. (foll. by up) esp. US colloq. put or get wise. Phrases and idioms: be (or get) wise to colloq. become aware of. no (or none the or not much) wiser knowing no more than before. put a person wise (often foll. by to) colloq. inform a person (about). wise after the event able to understand and assess an event or circumstance after its implications have become obvious. wise guy colloq. a know-all. wise man a wizard, esp. one of the Magi. wise saw a proverbial saying. without anyone's being the wiser undetected. Derivatives: wisely adv. Etymology: OE wis f. Gmc: see WIT(2) 2. n. archaic way, manner, or degree (in solemn wise; on this wise). Phrases and idioms: in no wise not at all. Etymology: OE wise f. Gmc f. WIT(2)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wise Wise, a. [Compar. Wiser; superl. Wisest.] [OE. wis, AS. w[=i]s; akin to OS. & OFries. w[=i]s, D. wijs, G. weise, OHG. w[=i]s, w[=i]si, Icel. v[=i]ss, Sw. vis, Dan. viis, Goth. weis; akin to wit, v. i. See Wit, v., and cf. Righteous, Wisdom.] 1. Having knowledge; knowing; enlightened; of extensive information; erudite; learned. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. --Jer. iv. 22. 2. Hence, especially, making due use of knowledge; discerning and judging soundly concerning what is true or false, proper or improper; choosing the best ends and the best means for accomplishing them; sagacious. When clouds appear, wise men put their cloaks. --Shak. From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. --2 Tim. iii. 15. 3. Versed in art or science; skillful; dexterous; specifically, skilled in divination. Fal. There was, mine host, an old fat woman even now with me; but she's gone. Sim. Pray you, sir, was't not the wise woman of Brentford? --Shak. 4. Hence, prudent; calculating; shrewd; wary; subtle; crafty. [R.] ``Thou art . . . no novice, but a governor wily and wise.'' --Chaucer. Nor, on the other side, Will I be penuriously wise As to make money, that's my slave, my idol. --Beau. & Fl. Lords do not care for me: I am too wise to die yet. --Ford. 5. Dictated or guided by wisdom; containing or exhibiting wisdom; well adapted to produce good effects; judicious; discreet; as, a wise saying; a wise scheme or plan; wise conduct or management; a wise determination. ``Eminent in wise deport.'' --Milton. To make it wise, to make it a matter of deliberation. [Obs.] `` We thought it was not worth to make it wise.'' --Chaucer. Wise in years, old enough to be wise; wise from age and experience; hence, aged; old. [Obs.] A very grave, state bachelor, my dainty one; He's wise in years, and of a temperate warmth. --Ford. You are too wise in years, too full of counsel, For my green experience. --Ford.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wise Wise, a. [OE. wise, AS. w[=i]se; akin to OS. w[=i]sa, OFries. w[=i]s, D. wijs, wijze, OHG. w[=i]sa, G. weise, Sw. vis, Dan. viis, Icel. ["o]?ruv[=i]s otherwise; from the root of E. wit; hence, originally, knowledge, skill. See Wit, v., and cf. Guise.] Way of being or acting; manner; mode; fashion. ``All armed in complete wise.'' --Spenser. To love her in my beste wyse. --Chaucer. This song she sings in most commanding wise. --Sir P. Sidney. Let not these blessings then, sent from above, Abused be, or spilt in profane wise. --Fairfax. Note: This word is nearly obsolete, except in such phrases as in any wise, in no wise, on this wise, etc. `` Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.'' --Ps. xxxvii. 8. ``He shall in no wise lose his reward.'' --Matt. x. 42. `` On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel.'' --Num. vi. 23. Note: Wise is often used as a suffix in composition, as in likewise, nowise, lengthwise, etc., in which words -ways is often substituted with the same sense; as, noways, lengthways, etc.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(wises, wising, wised, wiser, wisest) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A wise person is able to use their experience and knowledge in order to make sensible decisions and judgments. She has the air of a wise woman... ? foolish ADJ • wisely The three of us stood around the machine nodding wisely. ADV: ADV with v 2. A wise action or decision is sensible. She had made a very wise decision... It is wise to seek help and counsel as soon as possible. = sensible ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf • wisely They've invested their money wisely... Our man had wisely decided to be picked up at the farm. ADV: usu ADV with v 3. If you get wise to something, you find out about it, especially when someone has been trying to keep it secret. (INFORMAL) Dealers have already got wise to the trend and increased their prices accordingly. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Sensible, sage, judicious, sagacious, penetrating, deep, profound, discerning, reasonable, rational, intelligent, enlightened, sound, solid, philosophical, of good judgment. 2. Erudite, learned. 3. Subtle, cunning, crafty, sly, foxy, wily, politic, knowing, designing, long-headed. II. n. Manner, way, mode, fashion.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

As wise as Waltham's calf, that ran nine miles to suck a bull.

Moby Thesaurus

MO, abstruse, acute, advantageous, advisable, alert, algorithm, all-knowing, angle, apperceptive, appercipient, apprehending, apprehensive, approach, appropriate, arrogant, artful, aspect, astute, attack, aware, becoming, befitting, biggety, bold, bold-faced, brash, bright, broad-minded, cagey, canny, cheeky, civilized, cocky, cogitative, cognizant, comprehending, configuration, congruous, conscious, contemplative, convenient, course, crafty, cultivated, cultured, cunning, decent, deep, desirable, discerning, discreet, educated, effect, eidolon, encyclopedic, erudite, expedient, facet, fashion, favorable, feasible, feature, felicitous, figure, fit, fitten, fitting, flip, flippant, foresighted, form, forward, fresh, fructuous, gestalt, gnostic, good, grasping, guise, happy, hardheaded, hep, hoaxproof, image, imago, impertinent, impression, impudent, insightful, insolent, intelligent, intuitive, judicious, keen, knowing, knowledgeable, learned, lettered, light, likely, likeness, line, line of action, lineaments, lines, lippy, literate, look, manner, manner of working, means, meet, method, methodology, mindful, mode, mode of operation, mode of procedure, modus, modus operandi, nervy, nimble-witted, not born yesterday, omniscient, on the beam, opportune, order, pansophic, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, pert, phase, phasis, politic, polyhistoric, polymath, polymathic, practical, practice, prehensile, procacious, procedure, proceeding, process, profitable, profound, proper, provident, prudent, quick, quick-witted, realistic, recommendable, reference, reflective, regard, respect, right, routine, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sassy, saucy, scholarly, scholastic, seasonable, seeming, seemly, semblance, sensible, sensing, shape, sharp, sharp-witted, shrewd, side, simulacrum, slant, slick, slippery, smart, smart-alecky, smooth, sophic, sophisticated, sortable, steel-trap, studious, style, suitable, system, tack, tactical, technique, the drill, the how, the way of, thoughtful, timely, to be desired, tone, total effect, tough-minded, tricky, twist, uncullible, undeceivable, undeludable, understanding, undupable, unfoolable, ungullible, unhoaxable, unseduceable, useful, view, viewpoint, way, well-timed, wily, wise as Solomon, worthwhile