Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whip-smart

/ˈwɪpˌsmɑɹt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.95 in modern English

Syllables: whip-s-mart
IPA: /ˈwɪpˌsmɑɹt/

19

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Very intelligent.

Canadian usage; American usage; Informal

Example Sentences

"Seeing them here in town, smart in American-style uniforms, Peru's Army looks extremely well-trained, whip-smart."
"[Reed F.] Cutler, 350-pounder from Lewistown in the strip coalmining area, was a constant thorn in the Democratic side. A whip-smart parliamentarian, he effectively filled the role of "needler" as House Republican Leader."
"A big hug for the whipsmart, feisty Soho Teen team: Janine Agro, Meredith Barnes, Juliet Grames, Bronwen Hruska, and Rachel Kowal—what a fascinating journey, thank you so much for all your work to make it happen."
"Like Cabin In The Woods, it manages the extraordinary balancing act of delivering actual scares (more so than Cabin) while being a whip-smart critique of how scares are manufactured."
"The singer, real name Emma Grankvist, deals in whip-smart lyrics and striking melodies that offer a refreshing perspective on the world around her, all wrapped up in a package that’s brilliantly tough to pigeonhole."

Etymology

Inversion of earlier smart as a whip (compare rock solid, from solid as a rock; snow-white, from white as snow; etc.). Possibly an allusion to how quickly the tip of a whip moves when the whip is cracked.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈwɪpˌsmɑɹt/
British English: /ˈʍɪpˌsmɑːt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more whip-smart (comparative) most whip-smart (superlative) whipsmart (alternative)

Synonyms

smart as a whip sharp as a tack

Antonyms

addlebrained addlepated airheaded bee-brained beef-witted soft beefheaded beetle-headed birdbrained blockheaded Boeotian boneheaded

Questions

How do you pronounce whip-smart?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɪpˌsmɑɹt/.
What does whip-smart mean?: Very intelligent.
Where does whip-smart come from?: Inversion of earlier smart as a whip (compare rock solid, from solid as a rock; snow-white, from white as snow; etc.). Possibly an allusion to how quickly the tip of a whip moves when the whip is cracked.

How to pronounce whip-smart

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “whip-smart”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwɪpˌsmɑɹt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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