as in outwitted
to get the better of through cleverness
an inexpensive security system that would likely be outsmarted by anyone with a serious interest in circumventing it
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Recent Examples of outsmarted
The world’s leading superpower was outsmarted by Iran, perhaps because Iran’s secretary of defense took his job seriously.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
29 June 2026
Meanwhile, Tyreese is outsmarted by the Terminus Tiger Fan, who grabs baby Judith and threatens to snap her neck unless Tyreese walks unarmed into a herd of walkers outside.
—
Ew Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 June 2026
And some of the bees that technically failed the test may have actually outsmarted their contemporaries—by learning to work smarter, not harder.
—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Instead of drafting franchise cornerstones in JaMarr Chase or Penei Sewell, ex-GM Chris Grier outsmarted himself.
—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
The struggle resonated with parents on Reddit, many of whom admitted they have been outsmarted by their own baby gear.
—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
In each of these cases, a tech company outsmarted a human—or several—either by producing text convincing enough to pass the smell test, or by creating and marketing a service that convinced a writer to offload part of their labor.
—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Those who reach their long-horizon goals aren’t the ones who outsmarted the market.
—
Matthew Gaffey,
Forbes.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
29 June 2026
Meanwhile, Tyreese is outsmarted by the Terminus Tiger Fan, who grabs baby Judith and threatens to snap her neck unless Tyreese walks unarmed into a herd of walkers outside.
—
Ew Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 June 2026
And some of the bees that technically failed the test may have actually outsmarted their contemporaries—by learning to work smarter, not harder.
—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Instead of drafting franchise cornerstones in JaMarr Chase or Penei Sewell, ex-GM Chris Grier outsmarted himself.
—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
The struggle resonated with parents on Reddit, many of whom admitted they have been outsmarted by their own baby gear.
—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
In each of these cases, a tech company outsmarted a human—or several—either by producing text convincing enough to pass the smell test, or by creating and marketing a service that convinced a writer to offload part of their labor.
—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Those who reach their long-horizon goals aren’t the ones who outsmarted the market.
—
Matthew Gaffey,
Forbes.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmarted
Verb
-
Towering over the town is another, much bigger, Venetian fort, the Palamidhi (named after Palamedes, Nafplio’s legendarily clever local hero, who outwitted Odysseus and, well, didn’t live long enough to regret it).
-
Twenty-six years ago, students treated a visit by then-President Bill Clinton as a challenge, and outwitted the Secret Service by secretly rigging a banner to unfurl at an inopportune moment.
Verb
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Earlier in the episode, when Daemon and the Rivermen defeated the Lannisters, Ser Simon rewarded them with wine from the cellars.
-
Against the odds, our founders defeated a monarchy and created what would become the richest, freest, and most powerful country the world has ever seen.
Verb
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Dana, falling in love with Zorro and out of love with Diego, and being deceived by both, is sublimely affecting.
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In nearly half of all scams, 49% of the victims were also deceived into personally sending money to the scammers.
Verb
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Nicolas Pepe had a shot from roughly 10 yards out that was thwarted by Norway goalkeeper Orjan Haskjold Nyland with his leg.
-
The development of lifesaving medications can be thwarted by too much caution in not tolerating some potential side effects.
Verb
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The series will also recreate pivotal moments from Carlos’ life, while Carr examines how Carlos outmaneuvered intelligence services before being captured.
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Infantino endured another lesson in the limits of his facile brand of diplomacy in Vancouver, when he was outmaneuvered by Jibril Rajoub, the 73-year-old president of the Palestinian Football Association, who had asked to address the congress.
Verb
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Don’t be fooled by their jaw-dropping price; the flats boast a luxe look thanks to their low profile and—of course—glove silhouette.
-
The fluffy blooms on mimosa trees (Albizia julibrissin) look pretty in pink, but don’t be fooled by their dainty appearance.
Verb
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Liv Morgan begged for a tag, but she was outfoxed by a blind tag from Rhea Ripley.
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No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed.
Verb
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The Knicks overcame several double-digit point deficits to win the 2026 NBA championship, their first in 53 years.
-
Heide Hafner, Miss Subways 1976, overcame obstacles like sexism to earn her pilot's license.
Cite this Entry
“Outsmarted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmarted. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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