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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ache
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Dissimilar Words
as in aching
to feel or cause physical pain
the injection only smarted for a moment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of smarting
Adam Beam, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Last summer, Edwards was smarting again from a 4-1 loss to the Thunder in the conference finals.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
While Golden State arrived in Brooklyn still smarting from Sunday’s overtime loss in Toronto, the Nets entered Monday having won three in a row and having gone 7-3 in December.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
Though Maia’s apparently now crushing being Tallulah’s manager in terms of getting her lucrative deal$, Tallulah’s still smarting from the embarrassment of her cheesy Ritz ad, leaving her unmotivated to keep going with whatever new ideas Maia puts in front of her.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
Luxury Retail Remade Saks Global might have started off 2025 in a hole, with many vendors smarting over money still owed for past orders and reluctant to ship fresh goods to the retailer, but the trends have been getting better.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2025
Simashev was smarting and vulnerable.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025
Baltimore is smarting from that Monday home loss to Deroit -- but Crows would be 3-0 if not for a pair of Derrick Henry fumbles.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
The bill didn’t specifically target card rooms, but the tribes’ rival gambling establishments, still smarting from last year’s legislative defeat, worried their competitors would find a way to use the pending law against them.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
McNeel spent more than the rest of the GOP field combined and was backed by the trial lawyers still smarting over last year’s litigation overhaul.
—Adam Beam, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Last summer, Edwards was smarting again from a 4-1 loss to the Thunder in the conference finals.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
While Golden State arrived in Brooklyn still smarting from Sunday’s overtime loss in Toronto, the Nets entered Monday having won three in a row and having gone 7-3 in December.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
Though Maia’s apparently now crushing being Tallulah’s manager in terms of getting her lucrative deal$, Tallulah’s still smarting from the embarrassment of her cheesy Ritz ad, leaving her unmotivated to keep going with whatever new ideas Maia puts in front of her.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
Luxury Retail Remade Saks Global might have started off 2025 in a hole, with many vendors smarting over money still owed for past orders and reluctant to ship fresh goods to the retailer, but the trends have been getting better.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2025
Simashev was smarting and vulnerable.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 22 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
-
The Chill Factor Perhaps the most biting statistic of the season so far is the temperature.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Morbidly Jewish finds Raanan at his most biting, acerbic, angry, Jewish, and, as always…loud.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There’s ample gore and jumpy moments, but the true scariness here is of the forlorn kind; leads Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen play the mounting nightmare with ache and desperation, elevating the emotional tenor of a dolefully eerie movie.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Jan. 2026
-
But Swims buckled into the ballad, standing tall and belting through the song’s inherent ache.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
At 21, wanderlust — that aching desire to escape to somewhere else — took hold of Elizabeth Short.—
Nathan Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Somehow, these unadorned devices are transformed into materials of aching emotional weight.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This is a fairly faithful rendition of the original, with bushy broccoli rabe as the bitter green of choice.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
After their murders, their families sat in the bitter cold and grieved, waiting for the prime minister, Imran Khan, to come and mourn with them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Aids Muscle Relaxation and Recovery Combining turmeric and magnesium may support muscle relaxation and recovery, helping reduce muscle stiffness and soreness after physical activity.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Klay Thompson sat with left knee soreness for Dallas, which is without 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis due to a hand injury.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This is a relief for now, but the market won’t stop being worried about memory hurting gross margins until prices come down.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
But Forte cautioned in a letter to the committee that the measure would handcuff the court, which sometimes must act to prevent a young person from hurting themselves or others.—
Katie Mulvaney,
The Providence Journal,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
At the same time, China has been trading sharp diplomatic warnings with Japan after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would compel a military response from Tokyo, further underscoring how the issue is drawing in multiple regional and global powers.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The blue sky, the contrast of snow and dark winter trees and the sharp air just puts me right.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The point was to project his own power and, perhaps, to inspire in his listeners a pang of jealousy at his great big chest of war toys.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Packing your own treats not only saves money between meals, but also keeps mood-tanking hunger pangs at bay.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smarting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smarting. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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