Synonyms

smarty

American

[smahr-tee] / ˈsmɑr ti /

Also smartie

noun

Informal

smart aleck.
a smart person.

smarty British

/ ˈsmɑːtɪ /

noun

informal a would-be clever person

"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

Etymology

Origin of smarty

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; smart + -y ²

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.

Velma, the bespectacled, orange-turtleneck-wearing smarty of the Scooby-Doo gang, is apparently queer, at least in the new, direct-to-digital and DVD film "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!"

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2022

I make a graham cracker crust that will knock the socks off any child, no matter how big of a smarty pants they are.

From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2021

Additionally, after reading this recipe for poop emoji-shaped Peeps, my response is, "Well, good luck with that, smarty!"

From The Verge • Mar. 22, 2016

Why don’t you write a column about that, smarty pants?

From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2010

Whenever Marly told anything about her school during those first weeks, Joe acted quite superior and smarty.

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023