SMARTS Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

smarts 1 of 2

noun

plural of smart

as in intelligence

the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems she had the smarts to start college at age 16, but perhaps not the emotional maturity

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

smarts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of smart

as in aches

to feel or cause physical pain the injection only smarted for a moment

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of smarts

Noun

Mini-Vows Jacqueline Heath wowed Matthew Swain with her ambition and smarts. — Kaitlin Menza, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Frame-by-frame optimization also works away improving detail and skin tone with help from AI smarts. — New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2026 But in order to survive the woods, Murphy will have to dig deep into his wartime past and rely on his own skills and smarts to make out it out intact. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 But for everyone else, rugged specs and AI smarts simply aren't enough to justify a $400 markup over the seemingly stellar Series 12. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026 The distribution of wealth does not represent a distribution of effort or smarts by any reasonable assessment. — Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Luke Even though Luke is secretly a major brainiac, his smarts may have prevented him from finding love by being too picky. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026 Ben Affleck and a Jeopardy alum are putting their wicked smarts to good use. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 2026 Making your home smart shouldn’t require renovating, and the smarts should be mostly invisible. — David Pierce, The Verge, 12 July 2026

Verb

It’s been 10 years since Fantastic Four flopped, but its box-office failure still smarts for star Miles Teller. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smarts

Noun

The drills include amphibious landing, air and missile defense and mine sweeping, as well as intelligence gathering, logistics and resupply and casualty evacuation on several remote islands, including Tanegashima.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Other parts of government already contract out rocket launches, cloud storage, satellite intelligence and artificial-intelligence analysis to the tech sector.

— Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of intelligence

Verb

The majority of patients don't have symptoms, but about one in five will experience symptoms two to six days after being bitten, including fever, headaches, body aches, joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting or a rash.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Many infected people don’t get sick, but some experience fever, flu-like symptoms and — notoriously — aches.

— Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of aches

Noun

Up until 1950, Señorita Rio uses her expert marksmanship, fencing skills, and keen intellect to fight Axis powers across South America.

— Gaby Iori October 7, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
Tony has led at the highest levels of government, respected for his intellect, strategic vision and ability to bring people together around bold, forward-looking ideas.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of intellect

Verb

Losing the ability to fly fast drones, by contrast, hurts Ukraine right now—and hands Russia an immediate advantage in the skies.

— Steven John, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
Washington is coming off a brutal tie against the Giants (a game that somehow had even worse coaching) and, yes, the overtime hurts.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of hurts

Noun

Investors should also look at a fund's 30-day SEC yield to get a sense of what the company is generating in terms of income.

— Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026
Government buildings were vandalized in multiple cities, contributing to a sense of national crisis that could boost leading far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen six months before elections.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of sense

Verb

This one pains me as a Roth-era Van Halen fan, but there is no denying the band found incredible radio success with new frontman Sammy Hagar in the fold.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
His disaffection baffles his acquaintances and pains his tubercular wife (a superb Quinn Jackson), whose doctor (Lambert Tamin) has only contempt for her husband’s agonizing.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026

Definition of pains

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smartness

smarts

smarty

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“Smarts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smarts. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of smarts

noun

verb

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