What does "smart" mean?
A sharp, quick, lively pain; a sting.
Smart
/smɑɹt/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sharp, quick, lively pain; a sting.
- Grammar: smart is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bright, able, ache, ache.
- Useful contrasts: obtuse, plebby, vapid.
- Usage evidence: She is rich, to be sure, but I don't think she's very smart.
How to use "smart"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "smart" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "smart" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "smart" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "smart" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "smart" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bright" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "smart", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sharp, quick, lively pain; a sting.
"[…] the bodie had no smart / Of any wound: it was the minde that felt the cruell stings."
- 2 Acronym of self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology; also S.M.A.R.T.: a monitoring system included in computer HDDs and SSDs in order to detect and report various indicators of drive reliability with the intent of anticipating imminent hardware failures. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable
- 3 a kind of pain such as that caused by a wound or a burn or a sore wordnet
- 4 Mental pain or suffering; grief; affliction.
"Mishaps are maistred by aduice discrete, / And counsell mitigates the greatest smart; / Found neuer help, who neuer would his hurts impart."
- 5 Clipping of smart money. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A dandy; one who is smart in dress; one who is brisk, vivacious, or clever. dated, slang
"[…] I reſolved to quit all further Converſation vvith Beaus and Smarts of all kinds, […]"
Verb
- 1 To hurt or sting. intransitive
"After being hit with a pitch, the batter exclaimed "Ouch, my arm smarts!""
- 2 be the source of pain wordnet
- 3 To cause a smart or sting in. transitive
"A goad that […] smarts the flesh."
- 4 To feel a pungent pain of mind; to feel sharp pain or grief; to be punished severely; to feel the sting of evil. intransitive
"You think this cruel? take it for a rule, / No creature ſmarts ſo little as a Fool."
Adjective
- 1 Exhibiting social ability or cleverness.
"I always preferred the church, and I still do. But that was not smart enough for my family. They recommended the army. That was a great deal too smart for me."
- 2 An acronym for remembering desirable characteristics for goal-setting: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timebound. (See SMART criteria on Wikipedia.Wikipedia) mnemonic, not-comparable
"Over time, I noticed various exercises I did with Woebot rubbing off in my daily life. Woebot taught me how to set SMART goals — specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-limited."
- 3 Exhibiting intellectual knowledge, such as that found in books. informal
- 4 Equipped with intelligent behaviour (digital/computer technology). in-compounds, often
"smart car"
- 5 Good-looking; well dressed; fine; fashionable.
"a smart outfit"
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 Cleverly shrewd and humorous in a way that may be rude and disrespectful.
"He became tired of his girlfriend's smart remarks."
- 7 Sudden and intense.
"smart skirmishes, in which many fell"
- 8 Causing sharp pain; stinging.
"How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience."
- 9 Sharp; keen; poignant.
"a smart pain"
- 10 Intense in feeling; painful. Used usually with the adverb intensifier right. Southern-US, dated
"He raised his voice; it hurt her feelings right smart."
- 11 Efficient; vigorous; brilliant. archaic
"The stars shine smarter."
- 12 Pretentious; showy; spruce. archaic
"a smart gown"
- 13 Brisk; fresh. archaic
"a smart breeze"
- 14 Hard-working. Appalachia
Adjective
- 1 capable of independent and apparently intelligent action wordnet
- 2 improperly forward or bold wordnet
- 3 showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness wordnet
- 4 elegant and stylish wordnet
- 5 quick and brisk wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 characterized by quickness and ease in learning wordnet
- 7 painfully severe wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 Acronym of International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 2 A surname.
Example
"She is rich, to be sure, but I don't think she's very smart."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "smart"?
Common synonyms include: bright, able, ache, ache, active, acute.
How do you use "smart" in a sentence?
She is rich, to be sure, but I don't think she's very smart.
How do you pronounce "smart"?
Pronounced /smɑɹt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English smerten, from Old English *smeortan (“to smart”), from Proto-West Germanic *smertan, from Proto-Germanic *smertaną (“to hurt, ache”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- (“to bite, sting”). Cognate with Scots smert, Dutch smarten, German schmerzen, Danish smerte, Swedish smärta.
Etymology 2
From Middle English smert, smart, from Old English smeart (“smarting, smart, painful”), from Proto-West Germanic *smart, 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”).
Etymology 3
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.