smart

[ smahrt ]

/ smɑrt /

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See synonyms for: smart / smarter / smartest / smarting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to be a source of sharp, local, and usually superficial pain, as a wound.

to be the cause of a sharp, stinging pain, as an irritating application, a blow, etc.

to feel a sharp, stinging pain, as in a wound.

to suffer keenly from wounded feelings: She smarted under their criticism.

to feel shame or remorse or to suffer in punishment or in return for something.

verb (used with object)

to cause a sharp pain to or in.

adjective, smart·er, smart·est.

quick or prompt in action, as persons.

having or showing quick intelligence or ready mental capability: a smart student.

shrewd or sharp, as a person in dealing with others or as in business dealings: a smart businessman.

clever, witty, or readily effective, as a speaker, speech, rejoinder, etc.

dashingly or impressively neat or trim in appearance, as persons, dress, etc.

socially elegant; sophisticated or fashionable: the smart crowd.

saucy; pert: smart remarks.

sharply brisk, vigorous, or active: to walk with smart steps.

sharply severe, as a blow, stroke, etc.

sharp or keen: a smart pain.

(of a machine, system, etc.) equipped with electronic control mechanisms, software programs, etc., and capable of remote, automated, and seemingly intelligent operation: smart copiers;smart weapons;a smart thermostat.
equipped with microprocessors, as for data processing, internet access, etc. (usually used in combination): a smartphone;a smartwatch.

having properties that can be changed in response to stimuli or environmental conditions; self-regulating: smart fabrics that respond to temperature or light.

Computers. intelligent (def. 4).

Older Use. considerable; fairly large.

adverb

in a smart manner; smartly.

noun

a sharp local pain, usually superficial, as from a wound, blow, or sting.

keen mental suffering, as from wounded feelings, affliction, grievous loss, etc.

smarts, Slang. intelligence; common sense: He never had the smarts to use his opportunities.

OTHER WORDS FOR smart

1 pain, hurt, sting.

7 lively, nimble, agile, alert, active.

8 bright, sharp, expert, adroit.

9 cunning, adept.

11 spruce; pretentious, showy.

12 chic.

14 energetic.

16 stinging, poignant, penetrating.

See synonyms for smart on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR smart

8 stupid.

See antonyms for smart on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of smart

First recorded before 1050; Middle English (verb) smerten, Old English -smeortan (only in the compound fyrsmeortende “painful like fire”), cognate with Old High German smerzan (German schmerzen ); (adjective) Middle English smerte, smart “quick, prompt, sharp,” originally, “biting, smarting,” late Old English smearte, akin to the verb; (adverb and noun) Middle English smerte, derivative of the adjective

OTHER WORDS FROM smart

smart·ing·ly, adverbsmartly, adverbsmartness, nounsu·per·smart, adjective

su·per·smart·ly, adverbsu·per·smart·ness, nounul·tra·smart, adjectiveun·smart, adjectiveun·smart·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use smart in a sentence

Where most shows would try to cram everything in, “The Crown” is all about smart choices.
The Charles and Diana saga weighs heavy on ‘The Crown,’ but Gillian Anderson’s Thatcher is a triumph|Hank Stuever|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
The smart money says Morikawa will win here someday — because he’s so young and so good.
Who can win the Masters, who can but won’t and who to pick in your pool|Barry Svrluga|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
Both are types of telepresence robots or smart videoconferencing computers with microphones and speakers attached.
‘Telepresence’ robots are making virtual school feel a little more like real school|Jennifer Davis|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
I don’t think any amount of smarts and education would do the same.
What happens when psychedelics make you see God|Sarah Scoles|November 9, 2020|Popular-Science

Many people, including herself, were extremely proud during Obama’s term, she said, because the country had “a president who was smart and had the people’s best interest at heart.”
High Anxiety|Truthbetold|November 4, 2020|TruthBeTold.news
This was the first time he had smarted in his penetrable part—the skin—and it made him very spiteful.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend|Charles Reade
Looking down, he saw the blood had dried on his left hand, while under that shoulder something smarted with every movement.
Ralph Granger's Fortunes|William Perry Brown
What else could mean these gathering shadows that oppressed his lungs, that smarted in his eyes, that numbed his faculties?
Sarchedon|G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville
She believed that his arm was broken, and smarted with wrath at her mistress for so easily taking his word to the contrary.
Rhoda Fleming, Complete|George Meredith
He shifted often in the saddle, because of the deep sunburns which smarted continually and maddeningly.
The Happy Family|Bertha Muzzy Bower

British Dictionary definitions for smart (1 of 2)

smart

/ (smɑːt) /

adjective

astute, as in business; clever or bright

quick, witty, and often impertinent in speecha smart talker

fashionable; chica smart hotel

well-kept; neat

causing a sharp stinging pain

vigorous or brisk

dialect considerable or numerousa smart price

(of systems) operating as if by human intelligence by using automatic computer control

(of a projectile or bomb) containing a device that allows it to be guided to its target

verb (mainly intr)

to feel, cause, or be the source of a sharp stinging physical pain or keen mental distressa nettle sting smarts; he smarted under their abuse

(often foll by for) to suffer a harsh penalty

noun

a stinging pain or feeling

adverb

in a smart manner

Derived forms of smart

smartish, adjectivesmartly, adverbsmartness, noun

Word Origin for smart

Old English smeortan; related to Old High German smerzan, Latin mordēre to bite, Greek smerdnos terrible

British Dictionary definitions for smart (2 of 2)

Smart

/ (smɑːt) /

noun

Christopher. 1722–71, British poet, author of A Song to David (1763) and Jubilate Agno (written 1758–63, published 1939). He was confined (1756–63) for religious mania and died in a debtors' prison

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

smart

OTHER WORDS FOR smart

OPPOSITES FOR smart

Origin of smart

OTHER WORDS FROM smart

Words related to smart

How to use smart in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for smart (1 of 2)

Derived forms of smart

Word Origin for smart

British Dictionary definitions for smart (2 of 2)