# smart

Pronunciation: US say "SMART" /smɑɹt/; UK say "SMAHT" /smɑːt/

## Adjective

1. Intelligent; quick to learn, understand and deal with things, whether from study or from experience with people.
   - Simple: Clever and quick to learn and understand things.
   - _He's smart about history but admits he learned all of it from textbooks._
   - _Their smartest student could recite entire chapters from memory._
2. Equipped with computer technology that lets it respond, adapt, or act intelligently.
   - Simple: Able to work in a clever way using computer technology, like a phone or watch.
   - _The smart home system adjusts the lights based on the time of day._
   - _Newer cars include smart features that warn drivers about nearby obstacles._
3. Quick, brisk and vigorous, as of a movement, a pace or a wind.
   - Simple: Quick and full of energy, like a fast walk or a sharp salute.
   - _The honor guard snapped to attention and gave a smart salute as the flag was raised._
   - _We set off at a smart clip, hoping to reach the summit before the clouds rolled in._
4. Neat, well dressed, and stylish in appearance; in older use, showy or pretentious.
   - Simple: Looking neat and stylish, or, in older use, showy in a way meant to impress people.
   - _The waiters wore smart uniforms with pressed collars._
   - _She always looks smart, even on casual Fridays._
5. Cleverly witty in a shrewd way that can come across as rude or disrespectful.
   - Simple: Funny in a clever but rude way that can annoy people.
   - _She gave a smart reply that was funny but clearly out of line._
   - _When his mother asked where he had been all night, his smart remark earned him a week without his phone._
10. Sharp and forceful, as a blow that stings.
   - Simple: Quick and hard, like a hit that hurts.
   - _She delivered a smart blow to the punching bag._
   - _She gave the stubborn mule a smart slap on the rump, and it finally started up the trail._
11. Keenly and sharply felt, especially of an emotion such as grief or regret.
   - Simple: Sharp and strongly felt, like deep sadness.
14. Inclined to work hard and steadily; industrious. *(dialectal, Appalachia)*
   - Simple: Working hard and putting in a lot of effort.
   - _The foreman said it was a smart crew that worked straight through the heat to get the hay in._
   - _Folks in the holler called him smart because he worked from sunup to sundown and never once took a day off._

## Verb

7. To feel a sharp, stinging pain of body or mind; to suffer keenly from grief or punishment.
   - Simple: To feel a sharp pain, or to suffer because of something bad.
   - _Anyone who cheats the town's investors will smart for it sooner or later._
   - _She smarted under the public criticism for weeks afterward._
8. To sting or cause a sharp, burning pain.
   - Simple: To hurt with a sharp, stinging pain, or to cause that pain.
   - _The antiseptic made the wound smart for a moment._
   - _Her eyes smarted from the smoke drifting off the campfire._

## Noun

9. A sharp stinging pain, in the body or in the mind.
   - Simple: A sharp pain, either in your body or a hurt feeling.
   - _He winced at the smart of the antiseptic on his grazed knee._
   - _Years later, he still felt the smart of being cut from the varsity team in front of his friends._
6. Intelligence and cleverness, or the practical know-how that gets things done.
   - Simple: Being clever, or knowing in a practical way how to get things done.
   - _He's got the smarts for the job, but he still needs to learn some patience._
   - _Investors liked her business smarts as much as the product itself._

## Noun

12. A dandy; a person who dresses stylishly, or who is brisk, lively, and clever. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A stylish, lively person who dresses well and acts clever.

## Adjective

13. Intense or sharp in feeling; painful. It is usually preceded by the intensifier right. *(dated, Southern US)*
   - Simple: Very strong or painful in feeling, usually with the word right before it.

## Other meanings

- (noun) Clipping of smart money: money put in by investors believed to be well informed, or those investors themselves.

## Origin

**Meanings 7–8** — The verb comes from Middle English 'smerten', from Old English *smeortan ('to smart'), going back through Proto-Germanic *smertaną ('to hurt, ache') to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to bite, sting'. It is related to Dutch 'smarten' and German 'schmerzen'.
**Meanings 1–6, 10–11, 13–14** — The adjective comes from Middle English 'smert', from Old English 'smeart' ('smarting, painful'), from Proto-Germanic *smartaz ('hurting, aching'), from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to bite, sting'. It is related to Old Frisian 'smert' ('sharp, painful').
**Meanings 9, 12** — This form comes from Middle English 'smerte', derived from the verb 'smerten' ('to smart'). It is related to German 'Schmerz', Dutch 'smart', and Swedish 'smärta'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/smart (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).