smarmy

[ smahr-mee ]

/ ˈsmɑr mi /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR smarmy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, smarm·i·er, smarm·i·est.

excessively or unctuously flattering, ingratiating, servile, etc.: the emcee with the smarmy welcome.

Nearby words

smalto, smaragd, smaragdine, smaragdite, smarm, smarmy, smart, smart aleck, smart as a whip, smart ass, smart bomb

Origin of smarmy

1905–10; smarm, variant of dial. smalm to smear, make slick (< ?) + -y¹

Related formssmarm·i·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for smarmy

Thomas Sadoski should be the frontrunner to play every smarmy privileged thirty-something from now on.
'The Newsroom' Ended As It Began: Weird, Controversial, and Noble|Kevin Fallon|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
King Smarmy Bill, Queen Smug Chilary, and Princess Spolied Chlesea [sic].
The Strange Leak of the New Exposé ‘Clinton, Inc.’|Lloyd Grove|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brad is a smarmy, popular jerk, without whom Adam would have no credibility with the cool kids.
A New Huck on the Hardcore LGBT Hudson|William O’Connor|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And anyway they just open themselves up to obvious charges of being dishonest and smarmy (at best).
Dems: Starting to Get It, But As Usual Not Quite Right|Michael Tomasky|July 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Without even addressing the fact that he drove to Canada with his dog strapped to the roof of his car, we could call him Smarmy.
Latest GOP Debate Comical Enough to Be a Disney Animated Movie|Leslie Bennetts|November 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
They lipsynch the soundtrack, cadge souvenirs and pester you with smarmy, show-off questions.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom|Cory Doctorow
We'd have four good meals every day and baths every morning, and we'd only feel virtuous and 'smarmy' and do-good-to-the-poor-y.
Changing Winds|St. John G. Ervine
If she thinks him too sweet and smarmy with other people, she should let him have it to his nose, straight out.
Fantasia of the Unconscious|D. H. Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for smarmy

smarmy

/ (ˈsmɑːmɪ) /

adjective smarmier or smarmiest

British informal obsequiously flattering or unpleasantly suave

Derived Formssmarmily, adverbsmarminess, noun

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

Word Origin and History for smarmy

smarmy

adj.

"smooth and sleek" (1909); "ingratiating, unctuous," 1924, from smarm + -y (2). Related: Smarmily; smarminess.

smarmy

adjective, smarm·i·er, smarm·i·est.

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Nearby words

Origin of smarmy

Examples from the Web for smarmy

British Dictionary definitions for smarmy

smarmy

adjective smarmier or smarmiest

Word Origin and History for smarmy

smarmy