Basic+ Word of the Day: wise

wise (adjective)

Wise means ‘showing understanding and good judgment.’

• The senators were wise to compromise with members of the other party.
• To make a wise decision, consider the important facts.

Wise can also mean ‘showing deep knowledge or learning.’

• The Supreme Court justice was wise; she knew the law and how to apply it.

Common uses

wise up: to learn the correct information. Example: “Wise up. When a girl ignores you, she doesn’t want to go out with you.”

Did you know?

Wise is often used as a suffix. Examples: clockwise (moving in the direction of the hands of a clock), timewise (in reference to time).

Related word

wisdom

In pop culture

Here are some proverbs, or wise words. Which one do you think is the best?

There are other meanings of wise.