smarmy
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of smarmy
1905–10; smarm, variant of dial. smalm to smear, make slick (< ?) + -y 1
Explanation
Smarmy describes someone who is overly flattering and fake. A smarmy student might tell a teacher, "You're looking even more lovely than usual today," with a big smile. Smarmy describes someone who goes way over the top trying to be suave and charming — fooling no one. A smarmy car salesman will compliment your outfit and your hair and your taste in cars, always with an unpleasant falseness. In the 1930s, smarm was a verb that described smearing the hair with pomade, which makes it look shiny and slick. Back then, smarm also meant smearing with flattery.
Vocabulary lists containing smarmy
Clean Getaway
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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"Roller Girl" by Victoria Jamieson
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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.
Smarmy beggar, this Marler; one would walk a block out of one's way to cut him dead.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Bet it’s that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you.”
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
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.
