Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smarten (up)
Verb
-
The gladiators are primped by stylists and costume designers before the blood flows.—
Bob Minzesheimer,
USA TODAY,
18 Mar. 2025 -
Seymour shared a glimpse of the show’s backstage glamour as she was dressed and primped for the catwalk.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
Fox News,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Always one for innovation, MacKenzie-Childs has been known to doll up its hero products in a vast variety of designs to suit every last stylistic preference.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
17 July 2025
-
Toddler girl wearing striped shorts and vest set propping her baby doll up against a wall to take a photo.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
The markets react, the politicians preen, and most Americans go about their day trying to just get to the weekend around the corner.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Adding a meta layer, when Brazilians see their compatriots act out this complex, preening for attention, this triggers even more chagrin about being Brazilian.—
Shannon Sims,
New Yorker,
30 July 2025
Verb
-
For the magazine’s seventy-fifth anniversary, in 2000, the dog-loving portraitist William Wegman dressed up one of his Weimaraners as Eustace Tilley, our dandyish mascot, originally drawn by Rea Irvin.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Right outside our little show room with thin walls, there are 50 to 60 people dressed up as sexy vampires — leather, spikes, fangs, lipstick, nets.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Smarten (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smarten%20%28up%29. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share