How to Use smarm in a Sentence

smarm

noun
  • But if Scalia’s defining trait was snark, Gorsuch’s might be smarm.
    — Simon Van Zuylen-Wood, Daily Intelligencer, 28 May 2018
  • What a great example of why college hoops has withstood all the smarm that surrounds it.
    — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 10 Jan. 2018
  • The building's smarm factor was reduced by a substantial degree.
    — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 Apr. 2017
  • When the high-kicking, always-leering Roth left, the band’s smarm factor decreased 10-fold.
    — The Enquirer, 7 Oct. 2020
  • Jon Hamm starts off voicing Mayor Jerry with two-faced smarm, but his performance acquires layers.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Jon Hamm starts off voicing Mayor Jerry with two-faced smarm, but his performance acquires layers.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 28 May 2026
  • But Steve Bannon, in his 60 Minutes interview, has outdone them all for sheer outlandish smarm.
    — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, 11 Sep. 2017
  • That barreling is assisted mightily by the two male characters in the narrative, who take turns maximizing smarm and misogyny.
    — David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
  • Paul Alexander Nolan has charm, smarm and danger as Max, the video store owner, who has duplicitous sights on the Emerson family.
    — Frank Rizzo, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Even Saturday Night Live’s reigning king of smarm, Colin Jost, playing a henpecked husband, got some chuckles out of me.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
  • There is also a stash of BuzzBallz ready-to-drink cocktails for trivia winners, but Misraje and his cast do not deliver their performances with smirks or smarm.
    — Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2026
  • And if Black isn’t available for this brief, dismissive cameo, call up Brett Gelman, whose facial hair and smarm are practically unparalleled.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2022
  • Ian is eventually released from jail and Corporal MacGregor smarms and makes threats while eyeballing young Fergus.
    — Roxane Gay, Glamour, 17 Sep. 2017
  • While Peter appeared the perfect specimen, both fans and Rachel’s family questioned whether Bryan’s abundance of charm was actually smarm.
    — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2017
  • Man’s Best Friend’s dewy charm/smarm offensive also seems purposely set to so much country music, a field shaped by its key artists’ and core audience’s Christian family values.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
  • As an aspiring New York City comic recently separated from his wife, Arnett is earnest, slightly lost and — for perhaps the first time ever onscreen — entirely smarm-less.
    — Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Dec. 2025
  • To no one’s surprise, Bonnie is immediately transfixed by her Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee, whose arrogant smarm effectively threads the needle between Maya Hawke’s Anxiety and Regina George’s everything else).
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smarm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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