I. ˈsmär]t, -mȧ], usu ]d.+V\ verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English smerten, from Old English smeortan; akin to Middle Dutch smerten, smarten to pain, hurt, Middle Low German smerten, Old High German smerzan to pain, hurt, Latin mordēre to bite, Greek smerdnos terrible, fearful, marainein to waste away, Sanskrit mṛdnāti, mardati he pulverizes, crushes, destroys, and perhaps to Latin mort-, mors death — more at murder
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to be the source or seat of a sharp stinging or cutting usually local and superficial pain
a cut that smarted badly but was not serious
face smarted where his razor had scraped the skin
rapid fatigue with burning and smarting of the conjunctiva — H.G.Armstrong
the smarting of his wounded vanity — G.B.Shaw
b. : to cause or produce such a pain
this liniment will smart
a slap that was hard enough to smart
c. : to feel or have such a pain
was still smarting wherever the acrid fumes had come into contact with his skin
had smarted more than once under the lash of the cruel overseer
this liniment will make you smart but it will do you good
2.
a. : to feel sharp mental pain or distress (as in remorse or in consequence of a real or fancied grievance) : suffer keenly in mind or feelings — usually used with under
smarting under the prickings of his own conscience
smarting, evidently, under a sense of wrong — Susan Ertz
had smarted for years under his father's low opinion of him — Herman Wouk
or with from
smarting from his dismissal — R.A.Billington
smarting from their defeats — Wall Street Journal
or sometimes with over
smarting over the civil rights issue — R.E.Lee
or at
still smarting at his too candid criticism — W.H.Hudson †1922
then suddenly smarted at her own pettishness — Sheila Kaye-Smith
b. : to suffer severely as a penalty — usually used with for
feared that someday he would smart for this foolishness
you will be made to smart for this offense
transitive verb
: to cause to smart : act on as an irritant
II. adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English smert, smart, from Old English smeart; akin to Old English smeortan to smart — more at smart I
1.
a. archaic : causing smarting : attended by smarting : arousing or marked by a sharp stinging or cutting pain
their softest touch as smart as lizard's stings — Shakespeare
a smart sensation
b. : so severe as to cause smarting
a smart thrashing
winced under the smart cut of the whip
administered a smart reproof
2.
a. : marked by often sudden sharp intensity : showing sharp forceful activity
brought the kettle to a smart boil
a smart rally in oil stocks
a smart shock of surprise — Ambrose Bierce
a smart shower from the sinking sun — George Meredith
b. : marked by strength or pungency — used of liquors
a smart full-bodied wine
I'm after bringing down a smart drop — J.M.Synge
3.
a. : marked by or suggesting brisk vigor, speedy effective activity, or spirited liveliness
walking at a smart pace
smart trot
a smart gust of wind
a brief but smart skirmish
b. : seeming well suited to quick vigorous activity : not weak, flaccid, enervated, or obese
a smart physique
4.
a. : having or showing mental alertness and quickness of perception, shrewd informed calculation, or contriving resourcefulness : bright , clever , quick-witted
wish I was smart enough to invent something and maybe get rich — Sherwood Anderson
smart children talk earlier and dull children talk later than the average — Morris Fishbein
the race is no longer to the strong but to the smart — F.V.Drake
when are you going to get smart and shut up for a while — Harvey Granite
smart politics
a smart move
a smart investment
smart management
b. : shrewd, sharp, and of questionable honesty especially in the furthering of self-interest
loaded with prizes for the smart guys … full of booby traps for the unwary — W.H.Upson
which a few smart men at the top manipulated in their own interest — Elmer Davis
making a fast buck … smart , a smooth operator — Marc Brandel
5.
a. : marked by keen ready wit and repartee, amusing cleverness, or facetious pertness
the essence of English smart comedy is its combination of verbal distinction with intellectual impertinence — H.E.Clurman
had been supposed to be clever and had said smart things to him — Samuel Butler †1902
b. : impertinently witty or facetious : flip , fresh , saucy
gave his mother a smart answer
was punished for being smart
an unpleasantly smart attitude toward things that were not funny
6.
a. : dashing in appearance : well turned out : neat , trim , spruce , tidy :
(1) : showing the trimness of efficient design and careful maintenance : promising speed and reliable performance
a smart new yacht
the smartest ship of the fleet
drove his blooded horses to his smart carriages — John Reed
(2) : stylish in dress : showing careful attention to details of appearance : natty
uniform of green faced with orange, smart -looking in spite of being patched — Kenneth Roberts
trim and smart , from her bronze hair so well done to the end of her neat silver-slippered toe — Louis Bromfield
b. : showing fashion, elegance, richness, dash, modernity, or striking quality : appealing to sophisticated wealthier tastes
the smart suburban air — American Guide Series: New York City
the hotel … is not at all smart but very comfortable — Willa Cather
7. : characteristic of or patronized by exclusive ultrafashionable society
the restaurant is small, exclusive, terribly smart — T.H.Fielding
locations which are considered smart or chic because they are the property of privileged circles — Edward Sapir
8. chiefly dialect : fairly large : considerable
a smart price for a broken-down car
Synonyms: see intelligent
III. adverb
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English smerte, smarte, from smert, smart, adjective
: in a smart manner : smartly
will make all his characters talk smart or epigrammatically — Arnold Bennett
frankly a good deal of a mug, indifferent to those who cannot play it smart — Alfred Kazin
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English smerte; akin to Middle Low German smerte pain, Middle Dutch smerte, smarte, Old High German smerzo pain, smerzan to pain, hurt — more at smart I
1. : a smarting pain ; especially : a stinging local pain (as from an injury, blow, or irritant)
a smart in the eyes
whimpering over the smart from the liniment
2.
a. : keen mental pain (as from grief, remorse, affliction, wounded feelings) : poignant distress
only time would cure the smart of their bereavement
the smart of being the underdog — Abram Kardiner
was not the sort to get over smarts — Sir Winston Churchill
b. archaic : pain or distress inflicted or felt as punishment or retribution
stand betwixt us and our deserved smart — John Milton
also : a cause of such pain
a sword that thine enemy's smart is — John Keats
3. : one that affects smartness (as in dress, speech, manners, attitudes)
the wits and the smarts — Sir Walter Scott
a young Broadway smart — Joel Sayre
4. dialect : a sizable amount
V. noun
smarts plural , slang : intelligence : know-how
went to show that intellectual heavies could be beautiful in spite of all those smarts — Cyra McFadden
VI. adjective
1. : being a guided missile
a laser-guided smart bomb
— compare dumb 2 herein
2. : operating automatically or by automation
a smart machine tool
smart windows to regulate sunlight
3. : intelligent 1 herein