smart

English Online Dictionary. What means smart‎? What does smart mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /smɑɹt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /smɑːt/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)t

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.

Verb

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.
2. (transitive) To cause a smart or sting in.
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

• arsesmart
• besmart
• nosesmart
• smartful
• smarting
• smartweed

Translations

Etymology 2

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

smart (comparative smarter, superlative smartest)

1. Exhibiting social ability or cleverness.

   Synonyms: bright, capable, sophisticated, witty; see also Thesaurus:intelligent

   Antonyms: backward, banal, boorish, dull, inept
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
6. Good-looking; well dressed; fine; fashionable.

   Synonyms: attractive, chic, dapper, stylish, handsome

   Antonyms: garish, outré, tacky

7. Cleverly shrewd and humorous in a way that may be rude and disrespectful.

   Synonym: silly
8. Sudden and intense.
   • 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.

11. (Southern US, dated) Intense in feeling; painful. Used usually with the adverb intensifier right.

12. (archaic) Efficient; vigorous; brilliant.
13. (archaic) Pretentious; showy; spruce.

14. (archaic) Brisk; fresh.

15. (Appalachia) Hard-working.

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Danish: smart
• → German: smart
• → Norwegian:
  • Norwegian Bokmål: smart
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: smart
• → Swedish: smart

Translations

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.

Noun

smart (plural smarts)

1. A sharp, quick, lively pain; a sting.

   Synonyms: pang, throe; see also Thesaurus:pain
2. Mental pain or suffering; grief; affliction.

   Synonyms: anguish, torment; see also Thesaurus:distress
3. Clipping of smart money.

   Antonym: dumb money

4. (slang, dated) A dandy; one who is smart in dress; one who is brisk, vivacious, or clever.

   Synonyms: fop, macaroni; see also Thesaurus:dandy

Derived terms

• smartful

Anagrams

• armts., trams, MSTAR, tarms, marts, stram

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English smart.

Adjective

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

• oversmart

Dutch

Alternative forms

• smert (dialectal)

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): /smɑrt/
• Hyphenation: smart
• Rhymes: -ɑrt

Noun

smart f (plural smarten)

1. pain, sorrow, grief

Usage notes

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

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• Negerhollands: smert, smerte

German

Etymology

Borrowed from English smart, 19th c.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /smaːɐ̯t/, /smaʁt/

Adjective

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

1. smart (exhibiting social ability or cleverness)

   Synonyms: aufgeweckt, clever, gewitzt, pfiffig
2. smart (good-looking, well-dressed)

   Synonyms: chic, elegant, fein

Declension

Further reading

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

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /smart/

Verb

smart

1. first/second-person singular perfect of smar

Middle English

Adjective

smart

1. Alternative form of smert

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English smart.

Adjective

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

• smartklokke
• smarttelefon

References

• “smart” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English smart.

Adjective

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

• smartklokke
• smarttelefon

References

• “smart” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Spanish

Adjective

smart (invariable)

1. smart (with smart technology)

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English smart.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /smɑːʈ/

Adjective

smart (comparative smartare, superlative smartast)

1. smart; clever

   Antonym: osmart

Declension

Derived terms

• gatusmart
• smartskaft

References

• smart in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• smart in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• smart in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• tarms, trams