as in neatly
in a strikingly neat and trim manner
the smartly dressed scouts marched at the head of the Memorial Day parade
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Recent Examples of smartly
Best of all, the Tony nominee smartly resists overplaying the joke, grounding the part enough that Brad's unraveling becomes funnier.
—
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
The spaces feel lighter, fresher, more finely detailed, and the property has been smartly reorganized.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
In fact, the sandals are so smartly designed and comfortable that one glowing reviewer walked for miles in them—and then some.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2026
Romvari smartly uses the stunning natural landscape of the area surrounding Vancouver to lend her film some cinematic heft.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Over the past few years, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have very smartly built back-up pipelines.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
De Palma gets the pain of youth on a more nuanced level, and smartly dials back the violent scale of the ending to put the focus closer to home.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Today she is dressed smartly in a navy-blue pantsuit beneath her wool camel-hair coat.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
That plan ultimately goes awry, with Margot surviving the attack, smartly staged in a way that doesn’t completely ratchet up the violent tension, keeping the audience in an appropriate level of comfort while not compromising the narrative.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
The spaces feel lighter, fresher, more finely detailed, and the property has been smartly reorganized.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
In fact, the sandals are so smartly designed and comfortable that one glowing reviewer walked for miles in them—and then some.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2026
Romvari smartly uses the stunning natural landscape of the area surrounding Vancouver to lend her film some cinematic heft.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Over the past few years, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have very smartly built back-up pipelines.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
De Palma gets the pain of youth on a more nuanced level, and smartly dials back the violent scale of the ending to put the focus closer to home.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Today she is dressed smartly in a navy-blue pantsuit beneath her wool camel-hair coat.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
That plan ultimately goes awry, with Margot surviving the attack, smartly staged in a way that doesn’t completely ratchet up the violent tension, keeping the audience in an appropriate level of comfort while not compromising the narrative.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smartly
Adverb
-
Minoungou finished neatly beyond Switchbacks keeper Christian Herrera to take a 2-1 lead.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The tools all fold neatly into a plastic container, making storage a breeze.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
If the bike lane is sharply delineated with curbs, that will help a lot.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Candidates diverge sharply on school police, Supt.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Finally, a second staffer laid a towel over the jerseys, tamped it down a little more, and the two of them carefully slid the slab on top, the two metal latches closing without any effort.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Nearly 17 years after his death, the Michael Jackson brand is more carefully curated than ever.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smartly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smartly. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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