as in ingratiation
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Recent Examples of smarm
There is a ripe contrast between the smarm of Springhorn Jr.’s Theo and the squeak of Pinto’s Cohen.
—
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
At its worst, the earnestness curdles into self-congratulatory smarm.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 29 June 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
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
At its worst, the earnestness curdles into self-congratulatory smarm.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 29 June 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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But critics and former employees who spoke with CNN say the AI company has long known of the dangers of the tool’s tendency toward sycophancy – repeatedly reinforcing and encouraging any kind of input – particularly for users who are distressed or mentally ill.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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The company had also strengthened ChatGPT’s mental health guardrails at various points after Adam's death in April, especially after GPT-4o faced scrutiny over its excessive sycophancy.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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According to Gaiani, drinking or using drugs before social situations is a major sign that your teen may be using alcohol to cope with fawning and to feel more comfortable or confident.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Asked for just a few nice lines about the director for IndieWire, OutFest Next’s top trio of tastemakers — Sheryl Santacruz, Daniel Cooke, and Gabi Grossman, all familiar festival circuit faces with real warmth behind them — sent an effervescent text wall of sincere and complex praise via email.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Nov. 2025
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Having publicly criticized Davie several times over the summer amid a number of other scandals, Nandy was full of praise for Davie and Turness this time around.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smarm. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.
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