smarmy
adjective
\ ˈsmär-mē
\
\
smarmier;
smarmiest
Definition of smarmy
1
: revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating, or false earnestness
a tone of smarmy self-satisfaction — New Yorker
2
: of low sleazy taste or quality
smarmy eroticism
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Other Words from smarmy
smarmily
\ ˈsmär-mə-lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
smarminess
\ ˈsmär-mē-nəs
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of smarmy in a Sentence
Yes, he's a smarmy know-it-all with the personality of a hall monitor, the kind of guy everyone hides from at a Christmas party.
— Bill Simmons, ESPN, 2 Aug. 2004
Perhaps not—but Zarrella's absence is giving prime-time exposure to Channel 9 sports backups Drew Soicher, Carol Maloney and Rod Mackey, any of whom is preferable to the main man, whose on-air presence has grown smarmier with each passing year.
— Michael Roberts, Denver Westword, 15 Mar. 2001
Norman's attempt at setting the Holly story straight is a well-researched volume in which Holly comes across as a talented, fun-loving guy who carried the torch for a high-school sweetheart with strong religious convictions; who blindly signed over much of his future income to Norman Perry, his smarmy producer and manager; and who endured grueling concert tours of the U.S. and Britain.
— Genevieve Stuttaford, Publishers Weekly, 12 Aug.1996
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Recent Examples on the Web
De Niro appears to get a kick out of playing a smarmy character in a film that references two of his iconic screen roles, making Murray a slick showbiz pro but also a morally questionable figure ready to exploit Arthur's fragility for good TV. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Joker': Film Review | Venice 2019," 31 Aug. 2019 In his grand delusions and smarmy self-importance, Connor is the least affected by the toxic struggle consuming the rest of the family. — Andrew R. Chow, Time, "The Succession Season 2 Roy Family Power Rankings," 8 Aug. 2019 But mostly the screen just projected what people really wanted to see: Shawn striking poses with his guitar, Shawn tousling his black hair, Shawn subtly flexing his arms in a way that miraculously doesn’t seem smarmy. — Ashley Naftule, azcentral, "Shawn Mendes makes all the girls (and women) scream At Gila River Arena," 10 July 2019 But the Mind Flayer could just as easily be lurking within the smarmy new mayor or the creepy police officer who seems to be tracking Hopper—or maybe even Hopper himself. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "New Stranger Things S3 trailer teases: What if the Mind Flayer never left?," 21 June 2019 Robert Mitchum follows as the smarmy billionaire bachelor who treats the isle of Manhattan as his business headquarters. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "An Ode to the Campiest Film You’ve Probably Never Seen," 19 Apr. 2019 Part of what killed the romantic comedy in the mid-’00s was that the biggest studio rom-coms, your How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days or your Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, were getting increasingly slick and smarmy and cynical. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "Why romantic comedies matter," 29 Aug. 2018 For instance, the media calls me smarmy, sarcastic, all kinds of awful things. — Fox News, "Kavanaugh accused: Where does the burden of proof lie?," 19 Sep. 2018 Whether or not the characterization was ever fair, the Bluetooth headset was the accoutrement of smarmy business men talking loud on the phone in inappropriate places. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, "Apple's Airpods Are an Omen," 12 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smarmy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for smarmy
smarmy
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of smarmy
informal + disapproving
: behaving in a way that seems polite, kind, or pleasing but is not genuine or believable
See the full definition for smarmy in the English Language Learners Dictionary