40 Smart Words | Meanings & Examples

Is your home capacious? Would people describe you as Machiavellian? Do you go through life with aplomb?

This article contains a list of smart words that can take your vocabulary to the next level. Keep reading to discover these smart words, their meanings, and how you can use them.

Big words to sound smart

Use these big words to sound smart—but make sure you know what they mean! Find each word, its definition, pronunciation, and an example sentence below.

1. Abdicate

Pronunciation: ab-dih-kayt

Part of speech: verb

Meaning: to give up a title, responsibility, or honor

Example: King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne on December 11, 1936.

2. Acquiesce

Pronunciation: a-kwee-ess

Part of speech: verb

Meaning: to accept or agree to something reluctantly but without protest

Example: She acquiesced to the committee’s decision, though she had reservations.

3. Ambivalent

Pronunciation: am-bih-vuh-lent

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: having mixed feelings about something or someone

Example: He felt ambivalent about accepting the new job offer.

4. Aplomb

Pronunciation: uh-plom

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: self-confidence or assurance, especially in demanding situations

Example: She handled the tricky interview questions with aplomb.

5. Besotted

Pronunciation: buh-sah-tuhd

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: strongly infatuated or in love with

Example: He was completely besotted with his new puppy.

6. Byzantine

Pronunciation: bih-zuhn-teen

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: excessively complex and intricate; relating to the Byzantine Empire

Example: The new regulations had a byzantine structure that confused even the lawyers.

7. Capacious

Pronunciation: kuh-pay-shus

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: spacious or roomy

Example: Her capacious bag fit everything we bought.

8. Capriciously

Pronunciation: kuh-prish-uhs-lee

Part of speech: adverb

Meaning: acting on a sudden whim or impulse, without reason

Example: He capriciously changed his travel plans at the last minute.

9. Catharsis

Pronunciation: kuh-thahr-suhs

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: the process of releasing strong or repressed emotions

Example: Writing poetry was a form of catharsis for her.

10. Cogent

Pronunciation: koh-jent

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: clear, logical, and convincing

Example: Lucie’s argument was both cogent and compelling.

11. Confluence

Pronunciation: kahn-floo-uhns

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: a coming together of people, ideas, or things; the merging of two rivers

Example: The festival was a confluence of cultures, music, and art.

12. Didactic

Pronunciation: dai-dak-tuhk

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: intended to teach, particularly with a moral lesson as an ulterior motive

Example: The novel had a didactic tone, emphasizing the consequences of dishonesty.

13. Dilettante

Pronunciation: dih-luh-tahnt

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: someone who dabbles in an art or field of knowledge without serious commitment or interest

Example: He’s a dilettante in photography, always experimenting but never studying it deeply.

14. Effervescent

Pronunciation: eh-fehr-veh-suhnt

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: enthusiastic, lively, and bubbly in personality

Example: Julie’s effervescent charm lit up every room she entered.

15. Esoteric

Pronunciation: ehs-soh-tehr-ihk

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: understood by only a small, specialized audience

Example: Professor Anaya’s lecture on quantum theory was fascinating but esoteric.

16. Extrapolate

Pronunciation: ehk-strap-uh-layt

Part of speech: verb

Meaning: to infer something based on data; to predict something based on past experience

Example: From the current data, we can extrapolate the likely outcome of the experiment.

17. Facetious

Pronunciation: fuh-see-shuhs

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: treating serious issues with inappropriate humor

Example: Gary’s facetious comment during the meeting was not well received.

18. Flummox

Pronunciation: fluh-muhks

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: to perplex or bewilder

Example: The complicated instructions flummoxed her.

19. Frivolous

Pronunciation: frih-vuh-luhs

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: not having any serious purpose or value

Example: Sam was criticized for making frivolous purchases instead of saving.

20. Idiosyncrasy

Pronunciation: ihd-ee-oh-sihnk-ruh-see

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: a distinctive or peculiar feature of a person

Example: One of Alix’s idiosyncrasies is organizing her books by color.

21. Ineffable

Pronunciation: ih-neh-fuh-buhl

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: too great or extreme to be expressed in words

Example: The beauty of the sunset over the waterfall was ineffable.

22. Juxtaposition

Pronunciation: juhk-stuh-puh-zih-shuhn

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: the act of placing things side by side for contrast or comparison

Example: The film’s juxtaposition of light and dark imagery was striking.

23. Loquacious

Pronunciation: loh-kwey-shuhs

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: very talkative

Example: The loquacious host kept the audience entertained throughout the show.

24. Machiavellian

Pronunciation: mahk-ee-uh-veh-lee-uhn

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: cunning and scheming, especially in politics

Example: His Machiavellian tactics won him the election but cost him his reputation.

25. Mellifluous

Pronunciation: muh-lih-floo-uhs

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: smooth and pleasant-sounding

Example: Her mellifluous voice captivated everyone in the room.

26. Mitigate

Pronunciation: mit-ih-gayt

Part of speech: verb

Meaning: to make less severe, serious, or painful

Example: The government introduced new policies to mitigate climate change.

27. Non sequitur

Pronunciation: non seh-kwuh-tehr

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: a conclusion or observation that doesn’t logically follow the previous argument

Example: His comment about pizza was a complete non sequitur in the middle of our business meeting.

28. Ostentatious

Pronunciation: ah-stehn-tay-shuhs

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: designed to impress or attract notice; pretentious or showy

Example: The theater is quite ostentatious, full of golden hardware and Baroque paintings.

29. Parsimonious

Pronunciation: pahr-suh-moh-nee-us

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: extremely frugal or stingy

Example: The organization is so parsimonious that they won’t buy new chairs.

30. Perspicacious

Pronunciation: pur-spi-kay-shus

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: able to understand, notice, or judge things accurately

Example: The critic’s perspicacious review captured the essence of the film perfectly.

31. Predilection

Pronunciation: preh-duh-lehk-shuhn

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: a natural disposition towards or preference for something

Example: She has a predilection for light colors over dark ones.

32. Qualitative

Pronunciation: kwah-luh-tey-tihv

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: relating to the quality or characteristics of something instead of the quantity

Example: The longitudinal study focused on qualitative data gathered from participants over time.

33. Quintessential

Pronunciation: kwihn-tuh-sehn-shuhl

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: perfectly or typically representative of something

Example: They have the quintessential cozy cabin—wood-paneled, with a large fireplace, in a beautiful, dense forest.

34. Sagacious

Pronunciation: suh-gay-shuhs

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: wise or shrewd; having good judgment

Example: Sara’s sagacious advice helped me navigate a difficult situation.

35. Serendipity

Pronunciation: ser-uhn-dip-ih-tee

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: the happening of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way

Example: Finding that old photo album in the attic was pure serendipity.

36. Superfluous

Pronunciation: suh-puhr-floo-uhs

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: unnecessary, especially by being more than needed

Example: The dialogue is filled with superfluous details that weigh down the scene.

37. Substantiate

Pronunciation: suhb-stan-shee-ayt

Part of speech: verb

Meaning: to provide evidence or proof for something

Example: He failed to substantiate his claims with proper documentation.

38. Trepidation

Pronunciation: treh-pih-day-shun

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: a feeling of fear or anxiety

Example: She approached the microphone with visible trepidation.

39. Ubiquitous

Pronunciation: yoo-bih-kwih-tuhs

Part of speech: adjective

Meaning: appearing or found everywhere

Example: Smartphones have become ubiquitous in modern life.

40. Vitriol

Pronunciation: vih-tree-ol

Part of speech: noun

Meaning: cruel and bitter criticism

Example: The political debate was filled with unnecessary vitriol.

Frequently asked questions about smart words

What are some other words for smart?

Some other words for “smart” are:

• Intelligent
• Clever
• Bright
• Shrewd
• Astute
• Sharp
• Savvy
• Quick-witted

“Ingenious” and “erudite” are also some smart words that are synonyms for “smart.”

Find more words for “smart” using QuillBot’s free Paraphraser.

What are some words that rhyme with smart?

Some words that rhyme with “smart” are:

• Art
• Cart
• Dart
• Depart
• Heart
• Mart
• Part
• Start
• Tart

“Counterpart” is a smart word that also happens to rhyme with “smart.”

If using any of these words in your writing, QuillBot’s Grammar Checker will make sure you do so correctly.

What are some smart transition words?

Some smart transition words are:

• Furthermore
• Moreover
• Nevertheless
• Nonetheless
• Conversely
• Consequently
• Ultimately

Use these and other smart words to elevate your writing. Just make sure to put it through QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to make sure it’s error-free!