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smart

[smahrt] /smɑrt/
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verb (used without object)
1.
to be a source of sharp, local, and usually superficial pain, as a wound.
2.
to be the cause of a sharp, stinging pain, as an irritating application, a blow, etc.
3.
to feel a sharp, stinging pain, as in a wound.
4.
to suffer keenly from wounded feelings:
She smarted under their criticism.
5.
to feel shame or remorse or to suffer in punishment or in return for something.
verb (used with object)
6.
to cause a sharp pain to or in.
adjective, smarter, smartest.
7.
quick or prompt in action, as persons.
8.
having or showing quick intelligence or ready mental capability:
a smart student.
9.
shrewd or sharp, as a person in dealing with others or as in business dealings:
a smart businessman.
10.
clever, witty, or readily effective, as a speaker, speech, rejoinder, etc.
11.
dashingly or impressively neat or trim in appearance, as persons, dress, etc.
12.
socially elegant; sophisticated or fashionable:
the smart crowd.
13.
saucy; pert:
smart remarks.
14.
sharply brisk, vigorous, or active:
to walk with smart steps.
15.
sharply severe, as a blow, stroke, etc.
16.
sharp or keen:
a smart pain.
17.
(of a machine, system, etc.) equipped with electronic control mechanisms and capable of automated and seemingly intelligent operation:
smart copiers; smart weapons.
18.
having properties that can be changed in response to stimuli or environmental conditions; self-regulating:
smart fabrics that respond to temperature or light.
19.
Computers. intelligent (def 4).
20.
Older Use. considerable; fairly large.
adverb
21.
in a smart manner; smartly.
noun
22.
a sharp local pain, usually superficial, as from a wound, blow, or sting.
23.
keen mental suffering, as from wounded feelings, affliction, grievous loss, etc.
24.
smarts, Slang. intelligence; common sense:
He never had the smarts to use his opportunities.
Origin of smart
Middle English
Old English
1050
before 1050; (v.) Middle English smerten, Old English -smeortan (only in the compound fyrsmeortende painful like fire), cognate with Old High German smerzan (German schmerzen); (adj.) Middle English smerte, smart quick, prompt, sharp, orig., biting, smarting, late Old English smearte, akin to the v.; (adv. and noun) Middle English smerte, derivative of the adj.
Related forms
smartingly, adverb
smartly, adverb
smartness, noun
supersmart, adjective
supersmartly, adverb
supersmartness, noun
ultrasmart, adjective
unsmart, adjective
unsmarting, adjective
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
1. pain, hurt, sting. 7. lively, nimble, agile, alert, active. 8. bright, sharp, expert, adroit. 9. cunning, adept. 11. spruce; pretentious, showy. 12. chic. 14. energetic. 16. stinging, poignant, penetrating.
Antonyms
8. stupid.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2016.
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Examples from the Web for smartest
Contemporary Examples
Historical Examples

  • I had quick ways, an' the first time I ever hauled out a handkerchief I thought it about the smartest game anybody could play.

    Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 26, August, 1880 Various

  • I tell you right now that he's the smartest fellow that ever come into these parts.

    Still Jim Honor Willsie Morrow

  • Since 1880 we have built more than five hundred cities in America, among them some of the smartest in the world.

    Revisiting the Earth James Langdon Hill

  • Even the smartest man in the world doesn't know where he's at.

    Roy Blakeley's Camp on Wheels Percy Keese Fitzhugh

  • To-morrow we're to have one, they tell me, the smartest man that has appeared in the cause.

    The Chainbearer J. Fenimore Cooper
British Dictionary definitions for smartest

smart

/smɑːt/
adjective
1.
astute, as in business; clever or bright
2.
quick, witty, and often impertinent in speech: a smart talker
3.
fashionable; chic: a smart hotel
4.
well-kept; neat
5.
causing a sharp stinging pain
6.
vigorous or brisk
7.
(dialect) considerable or numerous: a smart price
8.
(of systems) operating as if by human intelligence by using automatic computer control
9.
(of a projectile or bomb) containing a device that allows it to be guided to its target
verb (mainly intransitive)
10.
to feel, cause, or be the source of a sharp stinging physical pain or keen mental distress: a nettle sting smarts, he smarted under their abuse
11.
(often foll by for) to suffer a harsh penalty
noun
12.
a stinging pain or feeling
adverb
13.
in a smart manner
Derived Forms
smartish, adjective
smartly, adverb
smartness, noun
Word Origin
Old English smeortan; related to Old High German smerzan, Latin mordēre to bite, Greek smerdnos terrible

Smart

/smɑːt/
noun
1.
Christopher. 1722–71, British poet, author of A Song to David (1763) and Jubilate Agno (written 1758–63, published 1939). He was confined (1756–63) for religious mania and died in a debtors' prison
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for smartest

smart

v.

Old English smeortan "be painful," from Proto-Germanic *smarta- (cf. Middle Dutch smerten, Dutch smarten, Old High German smerzan, German schmerzen "to pain," originally "to bite"), from PIE *smerd- "pain," an extension of the root *mer- (2) "to rub; to harm" (cf. Greek smerdnos "terrible, dreadful," Sanskrit mardayati "grinds, rubs, crushes," Latin mordere "to bite"). Related: Smarted; smarting.

adj.

late Old English smeart "painful, severe, stinging; causing a sharp pain," related to smeortan (see smart (v.)). Meaning "executed with force and vigor" is from c.1300. Meaning "quick, active, clever" is attested from c.1300, from the notion of "cutting" wit, words, etc., or else "keen in bargaining." Meaning "trim in attire" first attested 1718, "ascending from the kitchen to the drawing-room c.1880" [Weekley]. For sense evolution, cf. sharp (adj.).

In reference to devices, the sense of "behaving as though guided by intelligence" (e.g. smart bomb) first attested 1972. Smarts "good sense, intelligence," is first recorded 1968. Smart cookie is from 1948.

n.

"sharp pain," c.1200, from sharp (adj.). Cf. cognate Middle Dutch smerte, Dutch smart, Old High German smerzo, German Schmerz "pain."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang definitions & phrases for smartest

smart

adjective

  1. Fashionable; stylish; modish (1718+)
  2. Guided toward a target by laser beams, television signals, etc, rather than simply aimed: The subs are equipped with smart torpedoes/ the potential accuracy of ''smart'' bombs and missiles (Armed forces fr Vietnam War)

Related Terms

get wise, street-smart

[the first sense was revived in the 1880s and much reprehended]

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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