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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ache
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in aching
to feel or cause physical pain
the injection only smarted for a moment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smarting
Adjective
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As always, Danan’s voice is hysterically funny, her characters’ exhibiting a wry and biting sense of humor.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
19 May 2025 -
Fey’s writing usually has a reputation of being more on the biting or sardonic side, but The Four Seasons trades out the eye rolls for loving looks (mostly).—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
Symptoms of West Nile include fever, headache, aches, soreness, joint pain, rash, gastrointestinal symptoms and decreased consciousness.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
24 June 2025
-
Symptoms listed by the health agency still include sore throat, cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, congestion, runny nose, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, muscle aches, body aches, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
Wiz could be a turning point for an uncertain IPO market and a mergers and acquisitions environment aching from a slowdown in deal activity.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2025
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In fact, this iteration is a lighter and more cushioned version, with a level of support and shock absorption that ensures your feet are not aching after a day of sightseeing.—
Kristin Braswell,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But the fascination of the early days was gone, and more often than not their time together devolved into bitter spats.—
Mark Polizzoti
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
-
Lips can get a bit of color too, via RMS Beauty’s Legendary Lip Oil packed with adaptogenic herbs, jojoba oil, vanilla extract, and bitter cherry seed oil to condition the pout.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has publicly stated that recent U.S. and Israeli airstrikes inflicted serious damage on Iran's nuclear sites, a sharp contrast to the downplaying by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and one early U.S. intelligence assessment that was leaked to media.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
-
It’s measured in sharper thinking, richer conversations, and better decisions.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
Even though diet culture often frames snacking as a negative—an unbridled act of gluttony at best, and a sign of moral weakness at worst—reaching for an edible pick-me-up when the hunger pangs hit is the most natural thing in the world.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
6 June 2025
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In fact, no other fixture in Latin America symbolizes so intensely the visceral and contradictory pangs many people feel toward the U.S. than the Panama Canal.—
Whitney Eulich,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Richarlison was taken off at half-time, then Maddison and Solanke were taken off after feeling knee and quad twinges respectively.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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But these little twinges the audience might feel about everyone being mortal only added, if anything, to the evening’s personal potency, and the vitality of a reconvening of the tribe that supported the Wilson sisters from the outset, along with strays picked up during the MTV years.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
To guide those keen to experience the healing power of the sea, all-inclusive holiday experts at Travel Republic have analyzed data to reveal the saltiest seas–and therefore the best for ocean therapy.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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In this wider advice industry, opinion circulates between and in front of strangers, who become keen observers of others’ shocking revelations.—
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Smarting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smarting. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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