smarmy
/ˈsmɑɹ.mi/adjective
smarmy is spelled S-M-A-R-M-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, smarmy means “Falsely earnest, smug, ingratiating, or pious” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in smarmy?
| Letters | 6: S-M-A-R-M-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 71,529th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is smarmy?
Smarmy appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce smarmy?
- UK /ˈsmɑː.mi/
- US /ˈsmɑɹ.mi/
Smarmy has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-smarmy.ogg, En-au-smarmy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with smarmy?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as smarmy from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹmi/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of smarmy
- smarmier comparative
- smarmiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does smarmy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Falsely earnest, smug, ingratiating, or pious.
a smarmy salesman with a big smile
- 2
datedrareUnctuous, greasy, as hair from pomade.
I pulled on my smarmy t-shirt and my ragged jeans and dragged myself to report to my supervisor.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Smarmy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Falsely earnest, smug, or ingratiating:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | obséquieux |
| German | schmierig, kriecherisch, pomadig, schmeichlerisch, gefühlsduselig |
| Spanish | zalamero |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does smarmy come from?
From smarm + -y. Apparently coined by "B.R.L., of Brighton" with sense "saying treacly things which do not sound genuine" in a competition for neologisms in The Academy (London) published on 14 January 1899.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).