smart-ass

adjective

Definition of smart-assnext
as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred it's easy to make smart-ass jokes about death when you're not the one who's dying

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smart-ass
  1. cute
  2. flippant
Adjective
  • At their on-screen meet cute, Apatow hands Bamford $500 cash just to pitch her on her own documentary.
    — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The showstopper is a very cute idea where each baker has to make a dessert cart with at least three classic desserts on it.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of cute
Adjective
  • The sometimes-flippant enthusiasm with which people devour people’s real stories of loss can sting, Janus said.
    — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Even Bess’s twins, once so tiny and bald in their preemie bassinets, now seemed to be growing, flippant as weeds.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of flippant
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

smart-alecky
smart-ass
smart-assed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Smart-ass.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smart-ass. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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