Smart

How to spell smart

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce smart

What does smart mean?

1. adjectiveHaving or showing quick intelligence or good judgement.
2. adjectiveNeat, elegant, and fashionably dressed in appearance.
3. verbTo cause or feel a sharp stinging pain, often physical or emotional.

Smart in a sentence

• adjective

  The new intern is remarkably smart and learns every system quickly.

• adjective

  The dress code for the dinner is smart casual, so wear a clean jacket.

• verb

  The antiseptic will smart for a moment when it touches the cut.

• adjective

  Choosing to repay the loan early was a smart financial decision.

• adjective

  He looked very smart in his new tailored suit.

• verb

  His eyes began to smart from the smoke in the kitchen.

Where does smart come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends from the Old English adjective smeart, meaning 'painful, sharp, or stinging', which was related to the verb smeortan, 'to feel or cause a sharp pain'. It belongs to a wider Germanic family that also gave German Schmerz, 'pain', so the oldest idea behind the word was a stinging sensation rather than cleverness. From that root of sharpness the meaning travelled in two directions: a sharp wit became 'clever' and 'quick-minded', while a sharp, neat appearance became 'stylish' and 'well turned out'. The painful verb sense, as in a wound that smarts, has survived alongside these newer meanings and shows the original Anglo-Saxon idea most clearly. The spelling is mercifully phonetic and stable, which is why it remains a short, plain word in modern English.

How the word is built

• smart (whole word, from Old English smeart 'painful, stinging'); no productive affixes