smarmy

[ smahr-mee ]

/ ˈsmɑr mi /

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See 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.

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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

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Origin of smarmy

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

OTHER WORDS FROM smarmy

smarm·i·ly, adverb

Words nearby smarmy

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences 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
From suave Jack Ryan to smarmy Eugene Kittridge, potential candidates for America's next top spook.
10 Fictional Replacements for CIA Chief David Petraeus|Ben Teitelbaum, Laura Colarusso|November 10, 2012|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
They lipsynch the soundtrack, cadge souvenirs and pester you with smarmy, show-off questions.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom|Cory Doctorow
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
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

British Dictionary definitions for smarmy

smarmy

/ (ˈsmɑːmɪ) /

adjective smarmier or smarmiest

British informal obsequiously flattering or unpleasantly suave

Derived forms of smarmy

smarmily, 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

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smarmy

adjective, smarm·i·er, smarm·i·est.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Origin of smarmy

OTHER WORDS FROM smarmy

Words nearby smarmy

Example sentences from the Web for smarmy

British Dictionary definitions for smarmy

adjective smarmier or smarmiest

Derived forms of smarmy

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

smarmy

adjective, smarm·i·er, smarm·i·est.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Origin of smarmy

OTHER WORDS FROM smarmy

Words nearby smarmy

Words related to smarmy

Example sentences from the Web for smarmy

British Dictionary definitions for smarmy

adjective smarmier or smarmiest

Derived forms of smarmy