as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred
your smarty-pants comments aren't helping matters any
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in smarty
a person who likes to show off in a clever but annoying way
I don't need to hear from some smarty-pants second-guesser that the theme for the party is all wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of smarty-pants
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Eventually, the game builds to its own metafictional deconstruction, albeit in a way that lands as an emotional gut punch rather than smarty-pants twist.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2025
Plural noun
Rolling off the bed in a silicon sleep cocoon, Grace gradually evolves from a wriggling larval stage into a fully upright, walking and talking smarty-pants.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Eventually, the game builds to its own metafictional deconstruction, albeit in a way that lands as an emotional gut punch rather than smarty-pants twist.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smarty-pants
Adjective
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Keep scrolling to start the season strong with ’90s-but-better jelly mules, cute lightweight dresses, and a sling bag that’s about to become your water bottle’s new best friend.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
6 June 2026
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Bonus points for picking separates in the same color palette (red and white is a particularly cute, preppy combo, as shown above).—
Kelsey Stewart,
Glamour,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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Many professionals spend years trying to sound smarter, calmer, more agreeable, or more polished while gradually losing trust in their natural instincts and communication style.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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GreenLife brings smart design and colorful style to your everyday cooking with this Compact Stainless Steel Saucepan Set.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smarty-pants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smarty-pants. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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