as in neatly
in a strikingly neat and trim manner
the smartly dressed scouts marched at the head of the Memorial Day parade
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Recent Examples of smartly
Best of all, the Tony nominee smartly resists overplaying the joke, grounding the part enough that Brad's unraveling becomes funnier.
—
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
The spaces feel lighter, fresher, more finely detailed, and the property has been smartly reorganized.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
In fact, the sandals are so smartly designed and comfortable that one glowing reviewer walked for miles in them—and then some.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2026
Romvari smartly uses the stunning natural landscape of the area surrounding Vancouver to lend her film some cinematic heft.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Over the past few years, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have very smartly built back-up pipelines.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
De Palma gets the pain of youth on a more nuanced level, and smartly dials back the violent scale of the ending to put the focus closer to home.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Today she is dressed smartly in a navy-blue pantsuit beneath her wool camel-hair coat.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
That plan ultimately goes awry, with Margot surviving the attack, smartly staged in a way that doesn’t completely ratchet up the violent tension, keeping the audience in an appropriate level of comfort while not compromising the narrative.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
The spaces feel lighter, fresher, more finely detailed, and the property has been smartly reorganized.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
In fact, the sandals are so smartly designed and comfortable that one glowing reviewer walked for miles in them—and then some.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2026
Romvari smartly uses the stunning natural landscape of the area surrounding Vancouver to lend her film some cinematic heft.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Over the past few years, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have very smartly built back-up pipelines.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
De Palma gets the pain of youth on a more nuanced level, and smartly dials back the violent scale of the ending to put the focus closer to home.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Today she is dressed smartly in a navy-blue pantsuit beneath her wool camel-hair coat.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
That plan ultimately goes awry, with Margot surviving the attack, smartly staged in a way that doesn’t completely ratchet up the violent tension, keeping the audience in an appropriate level of comfort while not compromising the narrative.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smartly
Adverb
-
The National Park Service studied the American Discovery Trail in the mid-’90s and acknowledged that the American Discovery Trail doesn’t fit neatly into any of the existing categories outlined in the National Trails System Act, Mercurio said.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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In what neatly encapsulates the uncomfortable, rude, thin-skinned yet cruel, sarcastic and ultimately juvenile communication style of his online brood, the leader of the pack started with — what else — Lawrence’s looks.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The Vatican’s 2023 declaration allowing an informal blessing, promulgated with virtually no consultation outside the Vatican, sharply divided the church, with African bishops delivering a continent-wide dissent and refusing to implement it.—
Nicole Winfield,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
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Acting Director Nick Anderson testified that staffing has dropped to roughly 40%, sharply limiting the agency's ability to monitor threats and conduct outreach.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Brickner didn’t say yes or no to further withdrawals, but said the money must be handled very carefully.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
An artist observes carefully, especially things that go unnoticed — and transforms these observations into meaningful expressions.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smartly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smartly. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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