SMART
What does "SMART" mean?
Having or showing quick intelligence and good judgment.
Meanings
- Intelligent, quick-witted, and clever. She was smart enough to read the contract twice.
- Neat, stylish, and well-groomed in appearance. He arrived in a smart navy suit.
- Controlled by or equipped with computers and able to act automatically. The smart thermostat learns your schedule. technical
- To feel a sharp, stinging pain. The cut on his hand began to smart in the salt water.
- To feel upset or distressed by a slight or rebuke. She was still smarting from the criticism. figurative
Did you know?
- The 'clever' meaning of smart is rooted in pain: the Old English word 'smeart' meant a sharp sting, so to be smart was originally to be sharp - the same edge that makes a wound smart makes a mind keen.
Word origin
From Old English 'smeart', meaning sharp or stinging (as a wound smarts); the sense of mental sharpness grew from this idea of keenness.
Remember it
A SMART remark can be sharp enough to smart - both meanings share the same sting.
A little poem
The clever answer left the room impressed -
yet hours on, the wound it made still smarted in his chest.
couplet
Wordplay
- Why did the wound enroll in night school? It was already smart.
What it teaches
Real sharpness can cut or comprehend; choose which edge you lead with.
Quick facts
What does SMART mean?
Having or showing quick intelligence and good judgment.
Is SMART a valid word?
Yes — SMART is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is SMART?
SMART has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does SMART come from?
From Old English 'smeart', meaning sharp or stinging (as a wound smarts); the sense of mental sharpness grew from this idea of keenness.
What can SMART teach us?
Real sharpness can cut or comprehend; choose which edge you lead with.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.