Smarting

adj, noun, verb

adj, noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A sensation that smarts or stings. countable, uncountable

    "Strong they are; for they trample upon our light, the penalties of laws divine and human; yea, and the smartings of our own conscience."

  2. 2
    a kind of pain such as that caused by a wound or a burn or a sore wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of smart form-of, gerund, participle, present
Adjective
  1. 1
    Painful, sore.

    "My arm is still smarting from where the ball hit it."

  2. 2
    Experiencing emotional pain or embarrassment. figuratively

Synonyms

All synonyms
painedacheachesomeachingachyangry

Example

More examples

"Are you still smarting over my remarks?"

Etymology

From Middle English smertyng, smertinge, from Old English smeortung, smertung (“smarting, itching”), equivalent to smart + -ing.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.