as in ingratiation
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Recent Examples of smarm
At its worst, the earnestness curdles into self-congratulatory smarm.
—
Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 29 June 2024
The movie’s entrancing and melancholy beauty feels old-fashioned in a contemporary animation world largely defined by clutter and smarm.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 May 2024
Oliver brings in Matthew Broderick, playing himself with exaggerated smarm, who effortlessly breezes through the patter song.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
That barreling is assisted mightily by the two male characters in the narrative, who take turns maximizing smarm and misogyny.
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for smarm
Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 29 June 2024
The movie’s entrancing and melancholy beauty feels old-fashioned in a contemporary animation world largely defined by clutter and smarm.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 May 2024
Oliver brings in Matthew Broderick, playing himself with exaggerated smarm, who effortlessly breezes through the patter song.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
That barreling is assisted mightily by the two male characters in the narrative, who take turns maximizing smarm and misogyny.
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for smarm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smarm
Noun
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Another problem with Rutte’s strategy is that there is little evidence that sycophancy, no matter how extreme, has produced significant long-term change in Trump’s views.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
26 June 2025
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The OpenAI Model Spec — the document that describes what the company is aiming for with its products — warns against sycophancy, saying that: The assistant exists to help the user, not flatter them or agree with them all the time.—
Kelsey Piper,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
Noun
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Which means that instead of attacking the CEO, Huang should be garnering abundant praise for recognizing truths about the global economy plainly lost on his critics.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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Looking back on Jones' stint as a guest star, Smith had high praise for the musician.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smarm. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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