Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smarten (up)
Verb
-
Handlers at the 2024 National Dog Show Presented by Purina spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about getting different breeds ready for the big event and the amount of primping required.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
28 Nov. 2024 -
Photographed by Clémence Polès The next couple of hours felt like a rom-com montage—a bunch of girls playing, primping, and posing for pictures.—
Jessie Heyman,
Vogue,
15 Oct. 2024
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
-
Which is why, having failed to stop the coming spending cuts with preening puffery and shameless dishonesty, defenders of taxpayer dollars for public media have pulled out the last tool out of their political toolbox.—
Michael Graham,
Boston Herald,
18 July 2025
Verb
-
Two years prior, Klum dressed up as a worm and infamously posed while lying on the ground.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Designed with a V-neck, subtly cuffed sleeves, and textured horizontal seams, the dress can easily be dressed up with a jacket and flats or paired with a baseball cap and sandals for a more casual look.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
7 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share