Wiktionary

smart

See also: SMART, Smart, smärt, and S.M.A.R.T.

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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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.

Verb

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smart (third-person singular simple present smarts, present participle smarting, simple past smarted or (obsolete) smort, past participle smarted or (obsolete) smorten)

  1. (intransitive) To hurt or sting.
    After being hit with a pitch, the batter exclaimed "Ouch, my arm smarts!"
    • 1897, Bram Stoker, chapter 21, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC:
      He moved convulsively, and as he did so, said, "I'll be quiet, Doctor. Tell them to take off the strait waistcoat. I have had a terrible dream, and it has left me so weak that I cannot move. What's wrong with my face? It feels all swollen, and it smarts dreadfully."
    • 2023 October 12, HarryBlank, “Fire in the Hole”, in SCP Foundation‎[1], archived from the original on 22 May 2024:
      When the thrashing stopped, Fina used the pipe to roll the first woman's corpse over. She bent down, feeling a curious distance between the sudden serenity in her mind and the actions of her limbs, and beat the flames off the jacket with her bare hands. They were sooty and smarting as she used them to pry the garment off the woman's slack shoulders, and threw it over her own.
  2. (transitive) To cause a smart or sting in.
    • a. 1652, Thomas Adams, Faith’s Encouragement:
      A goad that […] smarts the flesh.
  3. (intransitive) To feel a pungent pain of mind; to feel sharp pain or grief; to be punished severely; to feel the sting of evil.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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From Middle English smert, smart, 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”).

Adjective

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smart (comparative smarter or more smart, superlative smartest or most smart)

  1. Exhibiting social ability or cleverness.
    Synonyms: bright, capable, sophisticated, witty
    Antonyms: backward, banal, boorish, dull, inept
    • 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter 19, in Sense and Sensibility […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
      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. (informal) Exhibiting intellectual knowledge, such as that found in books.
    Synonyms: cultivated, educated, learned; see also Thesaurus:learned
    Antonyms: ignorant, uncultivated, simple
  4. (often in combination) Equipped with intelligent behaviour (digital/computer technology).
    Antonym: dumb
    smart car
    smartcard
    smartphone
    • 2018 December 18, Joe Pinsker, “The Coming Commodification of Life at Home”, in The Atlantic‎[2]:
      “Imagine this,” says an advertising consultant named Barry Lowenthal. “I’m a smart toaster, and I’m collecting data on how many times the toaster is used.”
  6. Good-looking; well dressed; fine; fashionable.
    Synonyms: attractive, chic, dapper, stylish, handsome
    Antonyms: garish, outré, tacky
    a smart outfit
    You look smart in that business suit.
  7. Cleverly shrewd and humorous in a way that may be rude and disrespectful.
    Synonym: silly
    He became tired of his girlfriend's smart remarks.
    Don't get smart with me!
    • 1728, Edward Young, Satire:
      Who, for the poor renown of being smart / Would leave a sting within a brother's heart?
    • 1711 October 1 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “THURSDAY, September 20, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 175; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
      I played a sentence or two at my butt, which I thought very smart, when my ill genius, who I verily believed inspired him purely for my destruction, suggested to him such a reply
      The spelling has been modernized.
  8. Sudden and intense.
    • 1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, “(please specify |book=I to XVI)”, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the Theater, published 1707, →OCLC:
      smart skirmishes, in which many fell
    • 1860 July 9, Henry David Thoreau, journal entry, from Thoreau's bird-lore, Francis H. Allen (editor), Houghton Mifflin (Boston, 1910), Thoreau on Birds: notes on New England birds from the Journals of Henry David Thoreau, Beacon Press, (Boston, 1993), page 239:
      There is a smart shower at 5 P.M., and in the midst of it a hummingbird is busy about the flowers in the garden, unmindful of it, though you would think that each big drop that struck him would be a serious accident.
  9. Causing sharp pain; stinging.
  10. Sharp; keen; poignant.
    a smart pain
  11. (Southern US, dated) Intense in feeling; painful. Used usually with the adverb intensifier right.
    He raised his voice; it hurt her feelings right smart.
    That cast on his leg chaffs him right smart.
  12. (archaic) Efficient; vigorous; brilliant.
    • 1697, Virgil, “Georgic 1”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
      The stars shine smarter.
  13. (archaic) Pretentious; showy; spruce.
    a smart gown
  14. (archaic) Brisk; fresh.
    a smart breeze
  15. (Appalachia) Hard-working.
Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • → Danish: smart
  • → German: smart
  • → Norwegian:
  • → Swedish: smart
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Etymology 3

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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.

Noun

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smart (plural smarts)

  1. A sharp, quick, lively pain; a sting.
  2. Mental pain or suffering; grief; affliction.
  3. Smart-money.
  4. (slang, dated) A dandy; one who is smart in dress; one who is brisk, vivacious, or clever.
Derived terms
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Anagrams

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Danish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English smart.

Adjective

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smart (neuter smart, plural and definite singular attributive smarte, comparative smartere, superlative (predicative) smartest, superlative (attributive) smarteste)

  1. (of a solution, contraption, plan etc.) well thought-out, neat
  2. snazzy, fashionable, dapper

Derived terms

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Dutch

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle Dutch smarte, from Old Dutch [Term?], from Proto-West Germanic [Term?], from or related to the verb *smertan (whence smarten). Cognates include German Schmerz, English smart.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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smart f (plural smarten)

  1. pain, sorrow, grief

Usage notes

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  • Other than in the saying met smart, the word is nowadays considered to be dated.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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German

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English smart, 19th c.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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smart (strong nominative masculine singular smarter, comparative smarter, superlative am smartesten)

  1. smart (exhibiting social ability or cleverness)
    Synonyms: aufgeweckt, clever, gewitzt, pfiffig
    • 1862, “Amerikanische Zwangsmaßregel”, in Die Gartenlaube‎[4], number 20, page 320:
      Während in New York und andern östlichen Städten der einfachste kürzeste Proceßgang darin besteht, ist in vielen der westlichen Staaten ein „smarter“ Miether im Stande, fast noch ein Jahr nach geschehener Aufkündigung ein Haus zu bewohnen, ohne nur einen Pfennig Miethe zu zahlen.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 1910, Walther Kabel, Der schlafende Fakir‎[5]:
      Da vertraute ich mich meinem Chef, Herrn William Hawkens, an, der ein viel zu smarter Geschäftsmann ist, als daß er nicht das nötige Verständnis für diese unter Umständen recht einträgliche Idee gehabt hätte.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 2017, Rechtsanwalt Dr. Thomas M. Grupp, Maître en droit (Aix-Marseille III), “Entwicklungen im Umfeld einer Rechts- und Gerichtsstandswahl in Zeiten von Brexit”, in Europäische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht (EuZW)‎[6], number 24, page 977:
      Die ersichtlichen Bemühungen, einen smarteren Ausstieg aus der EU zu erreichen, decken sich mit den beiden eingangs schon erwähnten Positionspapieren, die von der britischen Regierung im August 2017 zu Themen einer grenzüberschreitenden zivilgerichtlichen Zusammenarbeit und zur Rechtsdurchsetzung und Streitlösung (Dispute Resolution) veröffentlicht worden sind.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  2. smart (good-looking, well-dressed)
    Synonyms: chic, elegant, fein

Declension

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Positive forms of smart
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist smart sie ist smart es ist smart sie sind smart
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative smarter smarte smartes smarte
genitive smarten smarter smarten smarter
dative smartem smarter smartem smarten
accusative smarten smarte smartes smarte
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der smarte die smarte das smarte die smarten
genitive des smarten der smarten des smarten der smarten
dative dem smarten der smarten dem smarten den smarten
accusative den smarten die smarte das smarte die smarten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein smarter eine smarte ein smartes (keine) smarten
genitive eines smarten einer smarten eines smarten (keiner) smarten
dative einem smarten einer smarten einem smarten (keinen) smarten
accusative einen smarten eine smarte ein smartes (keine) smarten
Comparative forms of smart
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist smarter sie ist smarter es ist smarter sie sind smarter
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative smarterer smartere smarteres smartere
genitive smarteren smarterer smarteren smarterer
dative smarterem smarterer smarterem smarteren
accusative smarteren smartere smarteres smartere
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der smartere die smartere das smartere die smarteren
genitive des smarteren der smarteren des smarteren der smarteren
dative dem smarteren der smarteren dem smarteren den smarteren
accusative den smarteren die smartere das smartere die smarteren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein smarterer eine smartere ein smarteres (keine) smarteren
genitive eines smarteren einer smarteren eines smarteren (keiner) smarteren
dative einem smarteren einer smarteren einem smarteren (keinen) smarteren
accusative einen smarteren eine smartere ein smarteres (keine) smarteren
Superlative forms of smart
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist am smartesten sie ist am smartesten es ist am smartesten sie sind am smartesten
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative smartester smarteste smartestes smarteste
genitive smartesten smartester smartesten smartester
dative smartestem smartester smartestem smartesten
accusative smartesten smarteste smartestes smarteste
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der smarteste die smarteste das smarteste die smartesten
genitive des smartesten der smartesten des smartesten der smartesten
dative dem smartesten der smartesten dem smartesten den smartesten
accusative den smartesten die smarteste das smarteste die smartesten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein smartester eine smarteste ein smartestes (keine) smartesten
genitive eines smartesten einer smartesten eines smartesten (keiner) smartesten
dative einem smartesten einer smartesten einem smartesten (keinen) smartesten
accusative einen smartesten eine smarteste ein smartestes (keine) smartesten

Further reading

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  • “smart” in Duden online
  • “smart” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Maltese

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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smart

  1. first/second-person singular perfect of smar

Middle English

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Adjective

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smart

  1. Alternative form of smert

Norwegian Bokmål

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Etymology

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From English smart.

Adjective

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smart (neuter singular smart, definite singular and plural smarte, comparative smartere, indefinite superlative smartest, definite superlative smarteste)

  1. clever (mentally sharp or bright)
  2. smart

Derived terms

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References

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Etymology

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From English smart.

Adjective

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smart (neuter singular smart, definite singular and plural smarte, comparative smartare, indefinite superlative smartast, definite superlative smartaste)

  1. clever (mentally sharp or bright)
  2. smart

Derived terms

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Spanish

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Adjective

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smart (invariable)

  1. smart (with smart technology)

Swedish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English smart.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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smart (comparative smartare, superlative smartast)

  1. smart; clever
    Antonym: osmart

Declension

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Inflection of smart
Indefinite Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular smart smartare smartast
Neuter singular smart smartare smartast
Plural smarta smartare smartast
Masculine plural3 smarte smartare smartast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 smarte smartare smartaste
All smarta smartare smartaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
3) Dated or archaic

Derived terms

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References

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Anagrams

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