Smart Definition

smärt

smarted, smarter, smartest, smarting, smarts

adjective

smarter, smartest

Having or showing intelligence; bright.

American Heritage

Causing sharp or stinging pain.

A smart slap.

Webster's New World

Sharp or stinging, as pain.

Webster's New World

Shrewd or sharp, as in one's dealings.

Webster's New World

Intelligent, alert, clever, witty, etc.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

verb

smarted, smarting, smarts

To cause sharp, stinging pain, as a slap.

Webster's New World

To cause to smart.

Webster's New World

To be the source of such pain, as a wound.

Webster's New World

To feel such pain.

Webster's New World

To feel mental distress or irritation, as in resentment, remorse, etc.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

smarts

A smarting sensation, pain or distress.

Webster's New World

Shrewdness, intelligence, or acumen.

Webster's New World

Smart-money.

Wiktionary

(slang, dated) A dandy; one who is smart in dress; one who is brisk, vivacious, or clever.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

adverb

In a smart way.

Webster's New World

abbreviation

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Tangible, a mnemonic for goal-setting.

Wiktionary

idiom

right smart

A lot; a considerable amount:

American Heritage

smart off

to be impertinent or flippant

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Smart

Adjective

Base Form:

smart

Comparative:

smarter

Superlative:

smartest

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Smart

Origin of Smart

From Middle English smerten, from Old English smeortan (“to smart"), from Proto-Germanic *smertanÄ… (“to hurt, ache"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- (“to bite, sting"). Cognate with Scots smert, Dutch smarten, German schmerzen, Danish smerte, Swedish smärta.

From Wiktionary
From Middle English smart, smarte, smerte, from Old English smeart (“smarting, smart, painful"), from Proto-Germanic *smartaz (“hurting, aching"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- (“to bite, sting"). Cognate with Scots smert (“painful, smart"), Old Frisian smert (“sharp, painful").

From Wiktionary
From Middle English smerte, from smerten (“to smart"). See above. Cognate with Scots smert, Dutch smart, Low German smart, German Schmerz, Danish smerte, Swedish smärta. More above.

From Wiktionary
Middle English stinging, keen, alert from Old English smeart causing pain

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition