Smarter

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Possessing higher intellect or better problem-solving skills compared to others
2. Displaying enhanced cognitive abilities or sharper understanding in thinking tasks
3. Showing improved mental capacity or more effective reasoning than usual

Etymology: "Smarter" is the comparative of "smart," and the adjective's original sense had nothing to do with intelligence. In Old English, a related word, "smeart," meant painful or stinging, and the verb "smerten" meant to hurt or ache. Both grew from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to hurt, ache," which traces back to a prehistoric root meaning "to bite, sting." The sense of physical pain is still preserved in the verb "to smart," as in a slap that smarts. The move from pain to cleverness happened gradually. Sharp sensations came to describe sharpness of mind, and a quick, stinging wit became a quick, alert one. Over the centuries "smart" settled on meaning clever or intelligent, and "smarter" follows that sense, describing someone more mentally capable than another.

Synonyms: more intelligent, wiser, shrewder

Antonyms: dumber, foolish