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Synonyms

smarmy

American  
[smahr-mee] / ˈsmɑr mi /

adjective

smarmier, smarmiest

  1. excessively or unctuously flattering, ingratiating, servile, etc..

    the emcee with the smarmy welcome.
smarmy British  
/ ˈsmɑːmɪ /

adjective

  1. informal obsequiously flattering or unpleasantly suave

"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

Other 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.

The actor is also known for playing a meta-version of himself in “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23,” where he’s a smarmy has-been nicknamed “The Beek From the Creek.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2024

Vance tries to do it with a smarmy smile.

From Salon • Oct. 3, 2024

It starred Coleman as “Buffalo Bill” Bittinger, the smarmy, arrogant, dimwitted daytime talk show host who, unhappy at being relegated to the small-time market of Buffalo, New York, takes it out on everyone around him.

From Seattle Times • May 17, 2024

So why do I call this calming music “avant-garde jazz” and not the smarmy candy known as “smooth jazz”? Simply: smooth jazz is a category.

From New York Times • Jul. 5, 2023

I'd shaken him, and it took him a second to find that smarmy smile, but he found it.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

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.