People Who Act Like They Know Everything Use These 12 Phrases On An Almost Daily Basis
FabrikaSimf / Shutterstock People who act like they know everything rarely come right out and say it, but you can usually hear it in the phrases they use on an almost daily basis. Their conversations tend to feel one-sided, dismissive, or oddly competitive, even when the topic is something minor or personal. Instead of curiosity, there’s certainty. Instead of collaboration, there’s correction. Over time, these patterns become exhausting for the people around them, especially because they often pass as confidence or intelligence when they are really a need to be right.
What gives these “know-it-all” tendencies away most clearly is language. Certain phrases pop up again and again, subtly signaling that someone believes their perspective is superior or final. These expressions can shut down dialogue, invalidate others’ experiences, and make genuine connection difficult, even if the speaker doesn’t intend harm.
People who act like they know everything use these 12 phrases on an almost daily basis
1. 'Everybody knows that'
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This statement is a subtle insult, often used to single someone out for not having the same information as a know-it-all. If you're talking to someone who acts like they know everything, and you acknowledge that you didn't know something, they might scoff and exclaim, "Everybody knows that." When someone says this phrase, they're trying to put you down while making themselves feel superior.
Psychologist Alfred Adler's view of human nature held that individuals share a common, fundamental purpose in life: to find belonging and feel significant. Adler believed that everyone is born with feelings of inferiority, stemming from an innate sense of inadequacy that everyone strives to overcome. An exaggerated sense of inferiority can lead to an inferiority complex, a person's belief that their characteristics and abilities are inferior to those of others.
Someone with an inferiority complex often develops a superiority complex, in which they overestimate their own abilities and act as if they're more competent than others, in an attempt to overcome their feelings of worthlessness. People who use the phrase "Everybody knows that" are often overcompensating for their deep-seated insecurities by trying to put others down while elevating themselves.
2. 'It's so obvious'
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People who act like they know everything use the phrase "It's so obvious" on an almost daily basis. This phrase is a condescending way to show how smart you are by making other people feel bad for not knowing something.
Using this phrase can be a sign that someone is pretending to be more intelligent than they actually are. They say, "It's so obvious" to boost their confidence and make themselves feel better than everyone else. Even if a fact or piece of information is obvious, emphasizing how obvious it is can make others feel inferior, which is often the aim of people who act like they know it all.
3. 'I could have told you that'
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While someone who acts like they know it all might be highly intelligent, they may be hiding the fact that they actually know very little. The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias that occurs when people overestimate their own abilities. When someone has low intelligence and a lack of self-awareness, they often don't know what they don't know, which makes them act as if they know everything. They overestimate their skill at various tasks and don't recognize when they've made a mistake.
People who act like they know it all often believe that having expertise in one area makes them good at everything. They say, "I could have told you that," because they think being good at one thing means they know everything.
4. 'I can't believe you didn't know that'
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People who act like they know everything typically use the phrase "I can't believe you didn't know that" on a regular basis. When someone uses this phrase, they're insinuating that whoever they're talking to isn't as smart as they are. The phrase is an example of having a condescending attitude, which is usually a sign of disrespect.
The Berkeley Well-Being Institute noted that showing condescension is a way to dismiss other people and make them feel bad about themselves. When someone acts like they know it all, they often treat others as though their beliefs aren't valid. They don't care to hear someone else's perspective, and they discount others' points of view if they don't match their own.
These people might not always realize they're being condescending, but their tone and words can make others feel insignificant, which can negatively affect their self-esteem.
5. 'I'm an expert on this topic'
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Another phrase used constantly by people who act like they know everything is "I'm an expert on this topic." People use this phrase to boost their self-esteem and proclaim that they know everything there is to know about a certain subject.
Research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology examined the phenomenon of "belief superiority," in which people believe their viewpoints are better than those of others. The study found that belief-superior people constantly overestimate how much they actually know. "Whereas more humble participants sometimes even underestimated their knowledge, the belief superior tended to think they knew a lot more than they actually did," said Michael P. Hall, lead author of the study.
The researchers also noted that belief superiority can impede a person's effort to learn more about a particular subject. They're unwilling to challenge themselves or expand their minds, which often means they have way less expertise on a topic than they think they do.
6. 'I don't need your advice'
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People who act like they know everything frequently say, "I don't need your advice." They truly believe that they know everything, so they wind up turning down support or suggestions. Yet the truth is, everyone benefits from outside advice, because nobody knows everything all the time. Seeing a problem from someone else's perspective can lead to finding a solution you might never have considered before.
Mindfulness coach Moira Hutchinson noted that there are concrete benefits to asking others for help, saying, "Giving and receiving help can enrich your life."
When people ask others for help, they not only show their humanity but also destigmatize the idea that needing support is a bad thing. Hutchinson explained that asking for help enhances relationships by heightening the shared sense of intimacy and strengthening emotional bonds.
7. 'Well, actually...'
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"Well, actually" is a fairly harsh and pointed way of letting someone know that you disagree with what they're saying. People who use this phrase do so to contradict others while placing themselves on a pedestal.
"Well, actually" is a phrase that exhibits a lack of generosity and graciousness. Using this phrase often indicates that a person wasn't raised with good manners, as it's an impolite way to speak to others. There are kinder ways to let someone know you hold a different opinion, such as saying, "Respectfully, I disagree," or "I believe the opposite to be true."
8. 'You probably don't know this, but...'
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People who act like they know it all often try to show off by using the phrase "You probably don't know this, but" before sharing a fact or piece of information they think no one else knows. It's a subtle yet direct way to insult someone's intelligence, as it implies they should have known what the person was about to say.
According to a study published by the Association for Psychological Science, people who overestimate how much they know sometimes claim to understand concepts that don't actually exist, a phenomenon called "overclaiming." The researchers found that people who overclaim "perceive their personal expertise favorably." Overclaimers believe their level of knowledge makes them better than others, even though they're falsely claiming to know what researchers deemed "impossible knowledge."
9. 'I know for a fact that you're wrong'
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People use this phrase to one-up others in a debate or intellectual discussion, without realizing it makes them seem to have a huge ego.
As a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found, people who believe their views are superior to others also perceive themselves as better informed on the topic than others. Researchers noted that belief superiority is directly associated with attitude confidence and certainty, explaining that "the attitude correctness component of attitude certainty resembles belief superiority by similarly appealing to the notion that one's attitude or belief is singularly dominant."
The feeling of being right can make people feel smarter than others. Being right can also make people feel powerful. People who act like they know it all position themselves above others to assert their mental acuity and intellectual dominance.
10. 'I know better'
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People who think they know everything often say, "I know better," to make the person on the receiving end feel less smart or worthy. A person who declares that they know better than someone else usually does so to make themselves feel superior, yet, as psychologist Nick Wignall pointed out, using criticism to boost your self-esteem is a habit that keeps you stuck in your own insecurity.
"Being overly critical of others is a subtle defense mechanism designed to boost your ego," Wignall explained. "When you feel chronically insecure, you're starved for good feelings about yourself and often desperate to find ways to make yourself feel better — even if it's short-lived."
When people who act like they know it all use this phrase, they might feel good about themselves for a brief moment, but that feeling usually won't last long, because it isn't rooted in a true foundation of self-worth.
11. 'It's common knowledge'
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People who act like they know it all constantly use the phrase "It's common knowledge" to indicate how much they know, while insulting the other person for not having access to that same information.
While a person might proclaim that something is common knowledge, the information they're sharing isn't actually widely known. Saying that something is common knowledge is a way for them to lift their self-image while simultaneously pushing other people down. They aren't satisfied until everyone around them knows how much they know. They boost their self-confidence through external validation, which means they show off their intelligence whenever they get the chance.
12. 'I've already mastered that'
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Know-it-alls use this phrase to boast about their talent and skill level in any given task. They throw around the phrase "I've mastered that already" because they want to seem like they're so smart that they have nothing left to learn. While they think this phrase makes others respect their intelligence, it actually shows they aren't as smart as they pretend to be.
Curiosity and a desire to learn are signs of true intelligence. Someone who proclaims themselves a master shows that they still have a lot left to learn. They just don't want to admit it, so they act like they know it all.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer who covers social issues, pop culture analysis, and all things related to the entertainment industry.
