smarmy
Americanadjective
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- smarmily adverb
- smarminess noun
Etymology
Origin of smarmy
1905–10; smarm, variant of dial. smalm to smear, make slick (< ?) + -y 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For six seasons on “Better Call Saul,” AMC’s hit prequel spinoff to “Breaking Bad” that told the backstory of Walter White’s smarmy lawyer Saul Goodman a.k.a.
From Los Angeles Times
Twenty-three years of a smug, smarmy host, and a bunch of sportswriters desperate for sound bites and attention.
From Los Angeles Times
In addition, the artist comes off as smarmy and contentious at times, belying his “holy man” persona and populist vibe.
From Los Angeles Times
Levi plays Scott as somewhat smarmy and disingenuous — it’s hard to feel for this guy when he seems absolutely clueless about his own kids.
From Los Angeles Times
“Opus” is a knife in his own back, a dig on the smarmy relationship between press and talent.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
