as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
we had to press on, despite the smarting sleet that was blowing in our faces
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in aching
to feel or cause physical pain
the injection only smarted for a moment
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in ache
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of smarting
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025
The Wanderers, three-time A-League Grand Final losers but AFC Champions League winners in 2014, are still smarting after being knocked out of last season’s Finals series by eventual finalists Melbourne Victory.
—Jack Bantock, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Baltimore is smarting from that Monday home loss to Deroit -- but Crows would be 3-0 if not for a pair of Derrick Henry fumbles.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
The bill didn’t specifically target card rooms, but the tribes’ rival gambling establishments, still smarting from last year’s legislative defeat, worried their competitors would find a way to use the pending law against them.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
Simashev was smarting and vulnerable.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025
The Wanderers, three-time A-League Grand Final losers but AFC Champions League winners in 2014, are still smarting after being knocked out of last season’s Finals series by eventual finalists Melbourne Victory.
—Jack Bantock, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Baltimore is smarting from that Monday home loss to Deroit -- but Crows would be 3-0 if not for a pair of Derrick Henry fumbles.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
The bill didn’t specifically target card rooms, but the tribes’ rival gambling establishments, still smarting from last year’s legislative defeat, worried their competitors would find a way to use the pending law against them.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smarting
Adjective
-
But usually the administration official doesn’t fight back in such a biting way.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Over nearly three decades, Baumbach has built a career chronicling families in crisis and artists at the crossroads, his films combining biting wit with an unflinching emotional honesty.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That moment, pulling out the aching tooth and taking a drink right after, was symbolic for me.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
-
That contradiction of hope and aching despair goes beyond the music, running right through the roots of the show.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Elderly consumers, who might seek gentle relief for aches or the comfort of a familiar ritual, are left stranded.—
Jahan Marcu,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The most common symptoms of flu include fever, headache, cough, sore throat and muscle aches.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Remove a thin piece of peel from a lemon (for rye) or orange (for bourbon), getting as little of the bitter white pith as possible; hold the peel between your fingers with the outside facing the top of the drink and pinch slightly to express the citrus oils over the top.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Washington State is back on home soil for the first time in more than a month, having been on the road since suffering a heavy defeat to bitter rival Washington in the Apple Cup back in September.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The resumption of student loan payments, high inflation and a tough job market are key factors hurting young borrowers.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The ravages of loneliness are especially hurting people with disabilities.—
Joni Eareckson Tada,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Brandon Miller exited with left shoulder soreness and didn’t return, leaving a gray cloud over the Hornets’ scrappy performance against a team that’s been their arch nemesis.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Shoes in this collection feature the brand’s proprietary ProjectPlush support system, which is basically just a footbed that contours to the natural curvature of the feet, helping to distribute weight evenly and alleviate pressure points that could lead to soreness, calluses, and blisters.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Riding the ‘Bus’ Filip Gustavsson was really sharp again, giving the Wild a chance by keeping it close.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The brow of the mountain represents Budj Bim’s forehead, the sharp basalt scoria rocks are the giant’s teeth, and the lava flows are his blood, which poured over the land.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The friend felt a pang of preëmptive regret.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
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These pangs are only compounded by the cliffhanger that concluded Season 2, in which President William Rayburn (Michael McKean) suffered a fatal heart attack and elevated his vice president, Grace Penn (Allison Janney), to the top of the call sheet.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smarting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smarting. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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