# wise

Pronunciation: say "WYZ" /waɪz/

## Adjective

1. Showing good judgment or the benefit of experience in one's decisions and actions.
   - Simple: Able to make good choices because you understand life and learn from experience.
   - _A wise leader listens carefully before making any decision._
   - _She gave a wise reply that calmed everyone in the room._
2. Aware of or informed about something, especially something that was meant to stay concealed. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Knowing the truth about something, especially something hidden.
   - _By his third fake sick day, his manager was wise to the excuses and asked for a doctor's note._
   - _Customers quickly grew wise to the hidden fees on their bills._
4. Showing disrespect, typically through cheeky or sarcastic remarks. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Rude and not showing respect, often in a joking or cheeky way.
   - _The boy got wise with the officer and earned a stern warning._
   - _After the second wrong order, Jen got wise with the waiter and asked whether the kitchen needed a map._

## Verb

3. To inform someone of the truth, or to come to learn it, usually in the form "wise up". *(slang)*
   - Simple: To find out the truth about something, or to tell someone else about it.
   - _It's time to wise up about the risks of this deal._
   - _She wised up to the scam before losing any money._

## Verb

5. To grow in good judgment over time; to come to have sound understanding. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To slowly grow more sensible and gain good judgment over time.

## Noun

6. A way, manner, or method in which something is done or happens. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A way, manner, or method of doing something.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To teach, advise, or instruct someone.
- (verb) In dialect, to guide or steer someone or something along a course or in a direction.
- (verb) To cause something to turn or change its direction.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–5** — From Middle English wis, from Old English wīs ("wise"), from Proto-Germanic *wīsaz, from a Proto-Indo-European noun meaning "knowledge" built on the root *weyd-. It is cognate with Dutch wijs, German weise, Norwegian vis and Swedish vis, and is related to "wit."
**Meaning 6** — The noun goes back to Proto-Germanic *wīsō, which became Old English wīse and then Middle English wise. English "guise" is a doublet, and the word has relatives in Dutch wijze, German Weise, and both Italian and Spanish guisa.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/wise (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).