Standard Lemma guide

know-it-all

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australian: /ˈnəʉ.ɪt.oːl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone who claims to be knowledgeable or an expert in something, obnoxiously dismissing the opinions, advice, suggestions, etc. of others.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, derogatory

Examples

  • We had it all figured out, but this know-it-all marched in with "the correct way of solving it", leaving our experiment in shambles.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

someone who thinks he knows everything and refuses to accept advice or information from others

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: know-all

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: egotist, egoist, swellhead

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English know English it Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Indo-European *h2elnós Proto-Germanic *allaz Proto-West Germanic *all Old English eall Middle English all English all English know-it-all From know + it + all.

Across languages

Translations

93 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Creole English: kumkumsa — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Armenian: ամենագետ (amenaget) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Armenian: ամենագիտակ (amenagitak) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Asturian: sabichegu — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Asturian: sabicheru — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Asturian: sabelotoo — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Asturian: enteráu — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Azerbaijani: hərşeyşünas — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Azerbaijani: ağıllıdıllaq — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Basque: sasijakintsu — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Basque: sasijakitun — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Bulgarian: всезнайко (vseznajko) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Catalan: setciències — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Catalan: mestretites — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Chinese Mandarin: 萬事通 /万事通 (wànshìtōng) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Czech: vševěd — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Czech: rozumbrada — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Danish: klogeåge — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Danish: besserwisser — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Dutch: betweter — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Dutch: wijsneus — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Finnish: kaikkitietävä — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Finnish: besserwisser — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • French: je-sais-tout — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • French: ti-Jo Connaissant — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • French: toutologue — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • West-Frisian: wiisprater — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • West-Frisian: wiisnoas — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Galician: sabichón — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Galician: sabichona — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Georgian: ჭკუის კოლოფი (č̣ḳuis ḳolopi) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Georgian: ყოვლისმცოდნე (q̇ovlismcodne) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Besserwisser — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Besserwisserin — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Neunmalkluger — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Neunmalkluge — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Rechthaber — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Rechthaberin — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Schulmeister — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Schulmeisterin — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Klugscheißer — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Klugscheißerin — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Schlaumeier — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Schlaumeierin — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Schlauberger — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • German: Schlaubergerin — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Greek: ξερόλας (xerólas) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Greek: ξερόλα (xeróla) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Indonesian: sok pintar — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Indonesian: sok tau — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Italian: sapientone — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Italian: sa tutto — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Italian: saputello — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Italian: tuttologo — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Italian: nientologo — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Japanese: 知ったかぶりをする人 (shittakaburi o suru hito) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Macedonian: се́знајко (séznajko) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Malay: palatao — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Māori: whakaputa mōhio — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Māori: ngutu huia — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bedreviter — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Norwegian Bokmål: viktigper — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forståsegpåer — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Norwegian Bokmål: besserwisser — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Persian: علامه دهر ('allâme-ye dahr) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Plautdietsch: Aulweet — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Polish: przemądrzalec — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Polish: mądraliński — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Polish: mądrala — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Polish: chłopek-roztropek — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Polish: besserwisser — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Polish: zarozumialec — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Portuguese: sabichão — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Portuguese: sabichona — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Portuguese: sabe-tudo — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Russian: всезна́йка (vseznájka) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Russian: зна́йка (znájka) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Serbo-Croatian: sveznalica — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Serbo-Croatian: свезналица — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Spanish: sabelotodo — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Spanish: sabiondo — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Spanish: todólogo — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Spanish: cuñado — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Spanish: cerebruto — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Spanish: sabidillo — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Sranan Tongo: sabiso — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Swahili: mjuba — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Swedish: viktigpetter — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Swedish: besserwisser — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Turkish: çok bilmiş — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Turkish: herbokolog — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Ukrainian: всезна́йко (vseznájko) — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
  • Welsh: hollwybodusyn — one who obnoxiously claims to be knowledgeable on a subject
Real reading context

know-it-all in complete knowledge articles