smart

[ smahrt ]

/ smɑrt /

Save This Word!

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

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

They named Howe the smartest player, best passer and playmaker and best puck carrier.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse|W.C. Heinz|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But even the smartest policing by the most dedicated cops can only do so much in the absence of effective gun laws.
How Chicago Became ‘Chiraq’|Michael Daly|April 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The comedian and filmmaker has been the smartest and funniest person in the room since he was in high school (maybe even earlier).
The Stacks: The Inimitable Albert Brooks Caught at the Dawn of His Movie Career|Paul Slansky|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was sure that in New York there resided the smartest people in the world, and I suppose I was half-right about that.
How I Write: Scott Spencer|Noah Charney|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Of course, you do not need to be the smartest of Alecs to know that I should be doing this with all my sources.
The Fascist Historian and Me|Guy Walters|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Henrietta had been dressed in a clean slip and the smartest hair ribbon she owned.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
Horace Walpole characterized him in a series of his smartest antitheses as "a singular person whose life was one contradiction."
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
There are four or five chapels set apart for their improvement in Preston, and the smartest of these is in Fishergate.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus
Real ladies, she urged timidly, did not wear their smartest clothes on such occasions.
A Charming Fellow, Volume II (of 3)|Frances Eleanor Trollope
The smartest of smart tailor-mades was none too smart for her.
From Place to Place|Irvin S. Cobb

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)