The difference between Sharp and Smart

When used as nouns, sharp means the symbol ♯, placed after the name of a note in the key signature or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is to be played a semitone higher, whereas smart means a sharp, quick, lively pain.

When used as verbs, sharp means to raise the pitch of a note half a step making a natural note a sharp, whereas smart means to hurt or sting.

When used as adjectives, sharp means able to cut easily, whereas smart means exhibiting social ability or cleverness.


Sharp is also adverb with the meaning: to a point or edge.

check bellow for the other definitions of Sharp and Smart

  1. Sharp as an adjective:

    Able to cut easily.

    Examples:

    "I keep my knives sharp so that they don't slip unexpectedly while carving."

  2. Sharp as an adjective (colloquial):

    Intelligent.

    Examples:

    "My nephew is a sharp lad; he can count to 100 in six languages, and he's only five years old."

  3. Sharp as an adjective:

    Terminating in a point or edge; not obtuse or rounded.

    Examples:

    "Ernest made the pencil too sharp and accidentally stabbed himself with it."

    "a sharp hill;  a face with sharp features"

  4. Sharp as an adjective (music):

    Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the symbol after the name of the note).

  5. Sharp as an adjective (music):

    Higher in pitch than required.

    Examples:

    "The orchestra's third violin several times was sharp about an eighth of a tone."

  6. Sharp as an adjective:

    Having an intense, acrid flavour.

    Examples:

    "Milly couldn't stand sharp cheeses when she was pregnant, because they made her nauseated."

  7. Sharp as an adjective:

    Sudden and intense.

    Examples:

    "A pregnant woman during labor normally experiences a number of sharp contractions."

  8. Sharp as an adjective (colloquial):

    Illegal or dishonest.

    Examples:

    "Michael had a number of sharp ventures that he kept off the books."

  9. Sharp as an adjective (colloquial):

    Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interests; shrewd.

    Examples:

    "a sharp dealer;  a sharp customer"

  10. Sharp as an adjective:

    Exact, precise, accurate; keen.

    Examples:

    "You'll need sharp aim to make that shot."

  11. Sharp as an adjective:

    Offensive, critical, or acrimonious.

    Examples:

    "'sharp criticism; When the two rivals met, first there were sharp words, and then a fight broke out."

  12. Sharp as an adjective (colloquial):

    Stylish or attractive.

    Examples:

    "You look so sharp in that tuxedo!"

  13. Sharp as an adjective:

    Observant; alert; acute.

    Examples:

    "Keep a sharp watch on the prisoners. I don't want them to escape!"

  14. Sharp as an adjective:

    Forming a small angle; forming an angle of less than ninety degrees.

    Examples:

    "Drive down Main for three quarters of a mile, then make a sharp right turn onto Pine."

  15. Sharp as an adjective:

    Steep; precipitous; abrupt.

    Examples:

    "a sharp ascent or descent;  a sharp turn or curve"

  16. Sharp as an adjective (mathematics, of a statement):

    Said of as extreme a value as possible.

    Examples:

    "Sure, any planar graph can be five-colored. But that result is not sharp: in fact, any planar graph can be four-colored. ''That'' is sharp: the same can't be said for any lower number."

  17. Sharp as an adjective (chess):

    Tactical; risky.

  18. Sharp as an adjective:

    Piercing; keen; severe; painful.

    Examples:

    "a sharp pain;  the sharp and frosty winter air"

  19. Sharp as an adjective:

    Eager or keen in pursuit; impatient for gratification.

    Examples:

    "a sharp appetite"

  20. Sharp as an adjective (obsolete):

    Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous.

  21. Sharp as an adjective:

    Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty.

  22. Sharp as an adjective (phonetics, dated):

    Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone; aspirated; unvoiced.

  1. Sharp as an adverb:

    To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek M. Arnold"

  2. Sharp as an adverb (notcomp):

    Exactly.

    Examples:

    "I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp."

  3. Sharp as an adverb (music):

    In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable.

    Examples:

    "I didn't enjoy the concert much because the tenor kept going sharp on the high notes."

  1. Sharp as a noun (music):

    The symbol ♯, placed after the name of a note in the key signature or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is to be played a semitone higher.

    Examples:

    "The pitch pipe sounded out a perfect F♯ (F sharp)."

    "Transposition frequently is harder to read because of all the sharps and flats on the staff."

  2. Sharp as a noun (music):

    A note that is played a semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol ♯.

  3. Sharp as a noun (music):

    A note that is sharp in a particular key.

    Examples:

    "The piece was difficult to read after it had been transposed, since in the new key many notes were sharps."

  4. Sharp as a noun (music):

    The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic.

    Examples:

    "Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is written in C♯ minor (C sharp minor.)"

  5. Sharp as a noun (usually, _, in the plural):

    Something that is sharp.

    Examples:

    "Place sharps in the specially marked red container for safe disposal."

  6. Sharp as a noun:

    A sharp tool or weapon.

  7. Sharp as a noun (medicine):

    A hypodermic syringe.

  8. Sharp as a noun (medicine, dated):

    A scalpel or other edged instrument used in surgery.

  9. Sharp as a noun:

    A dishonest person; a cheater.

    Examples:

    "The casino kept in the break room a set of pictures of known sharps for the bouncers to see."

    "This usage is often classified as variant spelling of ''[[shark]]'', and unrelated to the 'pointed' or 'cutting' meanings of ''sharp''."

  10. Sharp as a noun:

    Part of a stream where the water runs very rapidly.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Charles Kingsley"

  11. Sharp as a noun:

    A sewing needle with a very slender point, more pointed than a blunt or a between.

  12. Sharp as a noun (in the plural):

    Fine particles of husk mixed with coarse particle of flour of cereals; middlings.

  13. Sharp as a noun (slang, dated):

    An expert.

  14. Sharp as a noun:

    A sharpie (member of Australian gangs of the 1960s and 1970s).

  1. Sharp as a verb (music):

    To raise the pitch of a note half a step making a natural note a sharp.

    Examples:

    "That new musician must be tone deaf: he sharped half the notes of the song!"

  2. Sharp as a verb:

    To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek L'Estrange"

  1. Smart as a verb (intransitive):

    To hurt or sting.

    Examples:

    "After being hit with a pitch, the batter exclaimed "Ouch, my arm smarts!"

  2. Smart as a verb (transitive):

    To cause a smart or sting in.

  3. Smart as a verb (intransitive):

    To feel a pungent pain of mind; to feel sharp pain or grief; to suffer; to feel the sting of evil.

  1. Smart as an adjective:

    Exhibiting social ability or cleverness.

  2. Smart as an adjective (informal):

    Exhibiting intellectual knowledge, such as that found in books.

  3. Smart as an adjective (often, in combination):

    Equipped with digital/computer technology.

    Examples:

    "smart bomb'', ''smart car"

    "smartcard'', ''smartphone"

  4. Smart as an adjective:

    Good-looking.

    Examples:

    "a smart outfit"

  5. Smart as an adjective:

    Cleverly shrewd and humorous in a way that may be rude and disrespectful.

    Examples:

    "He became tired of his daughter's sarcasm and smart remarks''."

    "Don't get smart with me!"

  6. Smart as an adjective:

    Sudden and intense.

  7. Smart as an adjective:

    Causing sharp pain; stinging.

  8. Smart as an adjective:

    Sharp; keen; poignant.

    Examples:

    "a smart pain"

  9. Smart as an adjective (US, Southern, dated):

    Intense in feeling; painful. Used usually with the adverb intensifier right.

    Examples:

    "He raised his voice, and it hurt her feelings right smart."

    "That cast on his leg chaffs him right smart."

  10. Smart as an adjective (archaic):

    Efficient; vigorous; brilliant.

  11. Smart as an adjective (archaic):

    Pretentious; showy; spruce.

    Examples:

    "a smart gown"

  12. Smart as an adjective (archaic):

    Brisk; fresh.

    Examples:

    "a smart breeze"

  1. Smart as a noun:

    A sharp, quick, lively pain; a sting.

  2. Smart as a noun:

    Mental pain or suffering; grief; affliction.

  3. Smart as a noun:

    Smart-money.

  4. Smart as a noun (slang, dated):

    A dandy; one who is smart in dress; one who is brisk, vivacious, or clever.

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