Smart — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb noun adverb /ˈsmärt/

Meaning & Definition of Smart

Smart (adjective)

  1. having or showing a high degree of mental ability, intelligent, bright
  2. witty, clever
  3. rude or impolite in a bold and disrespectful way

Smart (verb)

  1. to cause or be the cause or seat of a sharp stinging pain; also, to feel or have such a pain
  2. to feel or endure distress, remorse, or embarrassment
  3. to pay a heavy or stinging penalty

Smart (noun)

  1. a smarting pain; especially, a stinging local pain
  2. poignant grief or remorse
  3. intelligence, know-how

Smart (adverb)

  1. in a smart manner, smartly

Smart (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment

    "a smart investment that has really paid off"

    similar: astute, canny, clear-eyed, clear-sighted, hard-boiled, hardheaded, heady, knowing, savvy, sharp, sharp-witted, shrewd
    related: artful, cagey, crafty, cunning, devious, dodgy (chiefly British), foxy, guileful, pawky (chiefly British), slick, sly, subtle, tricky, wily, discerning, insightful, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sage, sapient, wise, experienced, veteran, discriminating, discriminative, agile, alert, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp-eyed, sharp-sighted, apt, ingenious, resourceful, calculating, scheming
    opposite: unknowing
    near: artless, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive, exploitable, gullible, unperceptive, unwise, dense, dull, obtuse, airheaded, birdbrained, brain-dead, brainless, dim-witted, dopey, dumb, empty-headed, feebleminded, gormless (chiefly British), half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, simple, slow, slow-witted, softheaded, stupid, thickheaded, thick-witted, unintelligent, weak-minded, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, silly, thoughtless, witless, ignorant, uninformed

  2. having or showing quickness of mind

    "a smart child who will do well in school"

    similar: alert, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, exceptional, fast, hyperintelligent, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted, supersmart, ultrasmart
    related: apt, ingenious, resourceful, acute, astute, discerning, heady, insightful, knowing, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sapient, savvy, wise, cerebral, erudite, genial, highbrow, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, well-read, educated, informed, schooled, skilled, trained, creative, inventive, judicious, prudent, sage, sane, sensible, sound, crafty, cunning, foxy, shrewd, wily, logical, rational, reasonable
    opposite: airheaded, birdbrained, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, gormless (chiefly British), half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, mindless, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, senseless, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, stupid, thick, thickheaded, thick-witted, unbrilliant, unintelligent, unsmart, vacuous, weak-minded, witless
    near: feebleminded, simpleminded, boobish, foolish, half-baked, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, silly, ignorant, illiterate, lowbrow, nonintellectual, unacademic, uneducated, uninformed, unintellectual, untaught, unthinking, absurd, asinine, balmy, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, featherheaded, fool, harebrained, insane, kooky, loony, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, tomfool, unwise, wacky, zany

  3. given to or marked by mature intelligent humor

    "something one sees so rarely on TV: a smart sitcom"

    similar: clever, facetious, humorous, jocular, witty
    related: cerebral, highbrow, highbrowed, intellectual, bantering, frivolous, jesting, joking, joshing, teasing, antic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, funny, hysterical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, rollicking, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious, amusing, diverting, entertaining, mischievous, playful, prankish, jocose, jocund, jolly, jovial, laughing, merry, mirthful, sunny, scintillating, sparkling, flip, flippant, pert, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, waggish, whimsical
    near: brainless, lowbrow, stupid, witless, corny, hackney, hackneyed, lame, humorless, unamusing, uncomic, unfunny, earnest, grave, serious, serious-minded, sober, solemn, somber, doleful, dolorous, lachrymose, plaintive, sorry, tearful, woeful

  4. being strikingly neat and trim in style or appearance

    "dressed in their smart new uniforms, the cadets proudly paraded around the grounds of the military school"

    similar: dapper, natty, sharp, snappy, spruce
    related: dolled up, dressy, elegant, formal, spiffed-up, orderly, tidy, à la mode, chic, fashionable, in, modish, stylish, careful, fastidious, fussy, meticulous, combed, groomed, clean, immaculate, pristine, spotless, squeaky-clean
    opposite: disheveled, frowsy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt
    near: messy, mussed, rumpled, uncombed, untidy, wrinkled, shabby, sleazy, dingy, dirty, filthy, foul, grimy, grubby, nasty, scroungy, scrubby, scruffy, scuzzy (slang), smirched, soiled, spotted, stained, sullied, unclean, dowdy, inelegant, unfashionable, unstylish

  5. being in the latest or current fashion

    "boutiques specializing in smart clothes for cosmopolitan women"

    similar: à la mode, au courant, chic, cool (slang), exclusive, fashionable, fresh (slang), happening, hip, in, modish, sharp, snappy, stylish, supercool, swell, swish, trendy, voguish
    related: downtown, edgy, funky, dapper, dashing, dressy, kicky, natty, rakish, sassy, saucy, spiffy, spruce, chichi, classy, flossy, haute, nobby, posh, ritzy, soigné, swank, elegant, graceful, handsome, majestic, refined, sophisticated, stately, tasteful, understated, doggish, doggy, flashy, gallant, dandyish, dudish, foppish, ultrachic, ultracool, ultrahip, ultraposh, ultrasmart, ultrasophisticated
    opposite: dowdy, out, outmoded, styleless, unchic, uncool, unfashionable, unmodish, unstylish
    near: cheesy, tacky, unattractive, unbecoming, graceless, inelegant, tasteless, trashy, unhandsome, frowsy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt, untidy, disheveled, messy, mussy, rumpled, wrinkled, shabby, sleazy

  6. making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred

    "just joked and made smart comments during the ceremony"

    similar: cute, facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, smart-ass, smart-assed, smarty-pants, wise, wiseass
    related: flighty, frivolous, cheeky, cocky, fresh, impertinent, impish, impudent, mischievous, playful, roguish, sassy, saucy, waggish, disrespectful, rude, breezy, casual, glib, inappropriate, thoughtless
    opposite: earnest, sincere
    near: grave, serious, sober, solemn, somber

  7. having a wide and refined knowledge of the world especially from personal experience

    "a novelist who got much of the material for his works by hanging out with the smart set"

    similar: cosmopolitan, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise
    related: suave, urbane, civilized, cultivated, cultured, polished, refined, experienced, knowing, practiced, schooled, seasoned, bored, cynical, jaded, skeptical, down-to-earth, pragmatic, realistic, sober
    opposite: guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive, unsophisticated, untutored, unworldly, wide-eyed
    near: callow, green, inexperienced, raw, parochial, provincial, rustic, philistine, uncivilized, uncultured, unrefined, childlike, simple, simpleminded, idealistic, impractical, uncritical, unknowing

Smart (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to feel or cause physical pain

    "the injection only smarted for a moment"

    similar: ache, hurt, pain
    related: bite, bleed, burn, chafe, cramp, fester, itch, nag, pinch, pound, rack, sting, swell, throb, tingle, twinge, agonize, anguish, suffer, afflict, harrow, torment, torture

Smart (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body

    "the toddler was whining over the smart from the cut"

    similar: ache, pain, pang, prick, shoot, sting, stitch, throe, tingle, twinge
    related: discomfort, distress, soreness, tenderness, affliction, agony, anguish, misery, sufferance, suffering, torment, torture, inflammation, sore, swelling, damage, detriment, harm, hurt, injury, backache, bellyache, charley horse, colic, complaint, earache, gripe, headache, stomachache, toothache
    near: comfort, ease, easiness

  2. the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems

    "she had the smarts to start college at age 16, but perhaps not the emotional maturity"

    similar: brain(s), brainpower, gray matter, headpiece, intellect, intellectuality, intelligence, mentality, reason, sense
    related: eggheadedness, highbrowism, intellectualism, braininess, brilliance, acumen, alertness, apprehension, astuteness, discernment, discriminability, insight, judgment, perception, percipience, perspicacity, common sense, horse sense, mother wit, aptitude, talent, sagacity, sapience, wisdom, wit, head, mind, skull
    near: denseness, density, doltishness, dopiness, dullness, dumbness, fatuity, feeblemindedness, foolishness, half-wittedness, idiocy, imbecility, senselessness, simpleness, slowness, stupidity

Smart (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in smartly, sharply

    similar: nattily, sharply, smartly, sprucely, neatly, orderly, tidily, fashionably, modishly, carefully, fastidiously, fussily, meticulously, cleanly, immaculately, spotlessly
    opposite: dowdily, sloppily, slovenly, slatternly, chaotically, messily, untidily

Related Entry: Smart-aleck (adjective)

Smart-aleck is a different word from Smart. The synonyms below are for smart-aleck, not for smart.

  1. making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred

    "a talk show host who's known for his quick quips and smart-aleck observations on current events"

    similar: cute, facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart, smart-alecky, smart-ass, smart-assed, smarty-pants, wise, wiseass
    related: flighty, frivolous, cheeky, cocky, fresh, impertinent, impish, impudent, mischievous, playful, roguish, sassy, saucy, waggish, disrespectful, rude, breezy, casual, glib, inappropriate, thoughtless
    opposite: earnest, sincere
    near: grave, serious, sober, solemn, somber

  2. marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings

    "a smart-aleck reply that was met with a slap in the face"

    similar: acerb, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulous, acrid, barbed, biting, caustic, corrosive, cutting, mordant, pungent, sarcastic, sardonic, satiric, scalding, scathing, sharp, smart-alecky, smart-mouthed, snarky, tart
    related: brisk, cross, sharp-tongued, sour, sourish, spiky, tartish, incisive, keen, poignant, trenchant, cynical, dry, ironic, wry, facetious, flippant, tongue-in-cheek, acrimonious, bitter, resentful, vitriolic, harsh, rough, severe, stringent, abrupt, blunt, brusque, concise, crisp, curt, gruff, pithy, snippety, snippy, succinct, terse, backhanded, insincere
    near: amusing, droll, merry, playful, sportive, waggish, gentle, mild, bland, good-humored, good-natured, diplomatic, polite, smooth, suave, urbane, affable, cordial, genial, gracious, hospitable, sociable

Related Entry: Smart aleck (noun)

Smart aleck is a different word from Smart. The synonyms below are for smart aleck, not for smart.

  1. a person who likes to show off in a clever but annoying way

    "some smart aleck in the audience kept shouting clever insults at the nervous speaker"

    similar: smarty, smarty-pants, wiseacre, wiseass, wise guy, wisenheimer
    related: know-all (chiefly British), know-it-all, wisecracker, hotshot, show-off

Related Entry: Smart-alecky (adjective)

Smart-alecky is a different word from Smart. The synonyms below are for smart-alecky, not for smart.

  1. making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred

    "you wouldn't be so smart-alecky if you were the one having the surgery"

    similar: cute, facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart, smart-aleck, smart-ass, smart-assed, smarty-pants, wise, wiseass
    related: flighty, frivolous, cheeky, cocky, fresh, impertinent, impish, impudent, mischievous, playful, roguish, sassy, saucy, waggish, disrespectful, rude, breezy, casual, glib, inappropriate, thoughtless
    opposite: earnest, sincere
    near: grave, serious, sober, solemn, somber

  2. marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings

    "smart-alecky comments from a coworker about her new clothes"

    similar: acerb, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulous, acrid, barbed, biting, caustic, corrosive, cutting, mordant, pungent, sarcastic, sardonic, satiric, scalding, scathing, sharp, smart-aleck, smart-mouthed, snarky, tart
    related: brisk, cross, sharp-tongued, sour, sourish, spiky, tartish, incisive, keen, poignant, trenchant, cynical, dry, ironic, wry, facetious, flippant, tongue-in-cheek, acrimonious, bitter, resentful, vitriolic, harsh, rough, severe, stringent, abrupt, blunt, brusque, concise, crisp, curt, gruff, pithy, snippety, snippy, succinct, terse, backhanded, insincere
    near: amusing, droll, merry, playful, sportive, waggish, gentle, mild, bland, good-humored, good-natured, diplomatic, polite, smooth, suave, urbane, affable, cordial, genial, gracious, hospitable, sociable

Related Entry: Smart-ass (adjective)

Smart-ass is a different word from Smart. The synonyms below are for smart-ass, not for smart.

  1. making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred

    "it's easy to make smart-ass jokes about death when you're not the one who's dying"

    similar: cute, facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, smart-assed, smarty-pants, wise, wiseass
    related: flighty, frivolous, cheeky, cocky, fresh, impertinent, impish, impudent, mischievous, playful, roguish, sassy, saucy, waggish, disrespectful, rude, breezy, casual, glib, inappropriate, thoughtless
    opposite: earnest, sincere
    near: grave, serious, sober, solemn, somber

Related Entry: Smart-assed (adjective)

Smart-assed is a different word from Smart. The synonyms below are for smart-assed, not for smart.

  1. making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred

    "smart-assed collegians making jokes at the expense of devout churchgoers"

    similar: cute, facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, smart-ass, smarty-pants, wise, wiseass
    related: flighty, frivolous, cheeky, cocky, fresh, impertinent, impish, impudent, mischievous, playful, roguish, sassy, saucy, waggish, disrespectful, rude, breezy, casual, glib, inappropriate, thoughtless
    opposite: earnest, sincere
    near: grave, serious, sober, solemn, somber

Related Entry: Smart-mouthed (adjective)

Smart-mouthed is a different word from Smart. The synonyms below are for smart-mouthed, not for smart.

  1. marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings

    "your smart-mouthed remarks aren't at all helping the situation"

    similar: acerb, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulous, acrid, barbed, biting, caustic, corrosive, cutting, mordant, pungent, sarcastic, sardonic, satiric, scalding, scathing, sharp, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, snarky, tart
    related: brisk, cross, sharp-tongued, sour, sourish, spiky, tartish, incisive, keen, poignant, trenchant, cynical, dry, ironic, wry, facetious, flippant, tongue-in-cheek, acrimonious, bitter, resentful, vitriolic, harsh, rough, severe, stringent, abrupt, blunt, brusque, concise, crisp, curt, gruff, pithy, snippety, snippy, succinct, terse, backhanded, insincere
    near: amusing, droll, merry, playful, sportive, waggish, gentle, mild, bland, good-humored, good-natured, diplomatic, polite, smooth, suave, urbane, affable, cordial, genial, gracious, hospitable, sociable

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Smart

The most common words with a similar meaning to Smart:

Slang: cool, fresh
astute, canny, clear-eyed, clear-sighted, hard-boiled, hardheaded, heady, knowing, savvy, sharp, sharp-witted, shrewd, alert, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, exceptional, fast, hyperintelligent, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, supersmart, ultrasmart, facetious, humorous, jocular, witty, dapper, natty, snappy, spruce, à la mode, au courant, chic, exclusive, fashionable

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Smart

Words with the opposite meaning of Smart:

unknowing, airheaded, birdbrained, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky, dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, gormless, half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, mindless, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, senseless, simple

Related Words for Smart

artful, cagey, crafty, cunning, devious, dodgy, foxy, guileful, pawky, slick, sly, subtle, tricky, wily, discerning, insightful, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sage, sapient, experienced, veteran, discriminating, discriminative, agile, sharp-eyed, sharp-sighted, apt

Near Antonyms of Smart

artless, exploitable, gullible, unperceptive, unwise, feebleminded, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, silly, thoughtless, ignorant, uninformed, simpleminded, boobish, half-baked, illiterate, lowbrow, nonintellectual, unacademic, uneducated, unintellectual, untaught, unthinking, absurd, asinine, balmy, cockeyed, crackpot

Word Forms of Smart

Inflections: smarter, smartest, smarted, smarting, smarts

Derived words: smartly (adverb), smartness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Smart

Middle English smert causing pain, from Old English smeart; akin to Old English smeortan

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Smart

Words & Phrases Containing Smart

smart aleck, smart as a whip, smart-ass, smart card, smart drug, smart money

Frequently Asked Questions about Smart

What does "Smart" mean?

"Smart" means having or showing a high degree of mental ability, intelligent, bright. As an an adjective, a verb, a noun and an adverb, it is defined as: having or showing a high degree of mental ability, intelligent, bright. It has 11 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Smart"?

Other words for "Smart" include astute, canny, clear-eyed, clear-sighted, hard-boiled, hardheaded, heady and knowing. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Smart" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Smart"?

There are 362 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Smart". Common alternatives include astute, canny, clear-eyed, clear-sighted, hard-boiled, hardheaded, heady, knowing, savvy and sharp.

What is the opposite of "Smart"?

Antonyms of "Smart" include unknowing, airheaded, birdbrained, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded and chuckleheaded. Near antonyms include artless, exploitable, gullible and unperceptive.

How do you use "Smart" in a sentence?

Examples of "Smart" in a sentence: "a smart investment that has really paid off"; "a smart child who will do well in school"; "something one sees so rarely on TV: a smart sitcom".

Is "Smart" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Smart" can be used as an adjective, a verb, a noun and an adverb, depending on the context.

Is "Smart" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Smart" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Smart"?

"Smart" is pronounced /ˈsmärt/.