Synonyms of smarts

smarts 1 of 2

noun

plural of smart

as in intelligence

the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems

she had the smarts to start college at age 16, but perhaps not the emotional maturity

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intelligence
• intellect
• sense
• reason
• talent
• brainpower
• intellectuality
• brain(s)
• wit
• aptitude
• mentality
• gray matter
• wisdom
• insight
• brilliance
• acumen
• intellectualism
• headpiece
• astuteness
• mind
• perspicacity
• discernment
• braininess
• judgment
• alertness
• perception
• sagacity
• common sense
• apprehension
• highbrowism
• horse sense
• discriminability
• percipience
• sapience
• eggheadedness
• mother wit
• skull
• head

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• density
• dumbness
• idiocy
• stupidity
• foolishness
• slowness
• dullness
• imbecility
• feeblemindedness
• dopiness
• denseness
• fatuity
• simpleness
• doltishness
• senselessness
• half-wittedness

smarts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of smart

as in aches

to feel or cause physical pain

the injection only smarted for a moment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aches
• hurts
• pains
• throbs
• tingles
• swells
• stings
• cramps
• racks
• itches
• bleeds
• bites
• nags
• pinches
• burns
• chafes
• pounds
• twinges
• suffers
• torments
• tortures
• agonizes
• festers
• anguishes
• harrows
• afflicts

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of smarts

Noun

The distribution of wealth does not represent a distribution of effort or smarts by any reasonable assessment. — Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Luke Even though Luke is secretly a major brainiac, his smarts may have prevented him from finding love by being too picky. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026

Ward highlighted the smarts of third-round rookie Jakobe Thomas and undrafted free agent Jacob Thomas. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Ben Affleck and a Jeopardy alum are putting their wicked smarts to good use. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 2026

In addition to its enhanced smarts, Siri now lives in an app called Siri AI. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 15 July 2026

Recent news about literacy, education and general smarts in California and across the country has been somewhat distressing. — Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

Making your home smart shouldn’t require renovating, and the smarts should be mostly invisible. — David Pierce, The Verge, 12 July 2026

Her reputation among All3 staff is strong, with many praising her business smarts and supportive nature. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 July 2026

Verb

It’s been 10 years since Fantastic Four flopped, but its box-office failure still smarts for star Miles Teller. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025