smooth
Other forms: smoothed; smoothing; smoothest; smooths; smoothingly
Something smooth is free of roughness, stubble, or other imperfections that you can feel with your hands. If your wooden table is giving you splinters, use a sander to smooth it down and make it smooth. As you can see, smooth works as both a verb and an adjective.
Smooth has lots of interesting uses: Caught in a wind storm? Better smooth out your hair when you head inside. Got a friend who's good with the ladies? Try imitating his smooth moves. Need help to smooth out a dispute between two friends? Invite them out for coffee and offer to help them smooth out their differences. Some pianists prefer ivory keys to plastic because they're less smooth, and their fingers don't slip. The best dancers can move smoothly from one move to another.
Definitions of smooth
-
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities“smooth skin”“a smooth tabletop”“smooth fabric”“a smooth road”“water as smooth as a mirror”
-
Synonyms:
-
even
being level or straight or regular and without variation as e.g. in shape or texture; or being in the same plane or at the same height as something else (i.e. even with)
-
ironed
(of linens or clothes) smoothed with a hot iron
-
fine
of textures that are smooth to the touch or substances consisting of relatively small particles
-
slippery, slippy
causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide
-
creaseless, uncreased
used especially of fabrics
-
even-textured
having an even texture
-
fast
(of surfaces) conducive to rapid speeds
-
fine-textured, smooth-textured
having a smooth, fine-grained structure
-
glassy
resembling glass in smoothness and shininess and slickness
-
seamless, unlined, unseamed
smooth, especially of skin
-
aerodynamic, flowing, sleek, streamlined
designed or arranged to offer the least resistant to fluid flow
-
velvet, velvet-textured, velvety
smooth and soft to sight or hearing or touch or taste
-
Antonyms:
-
rough, unsmooth
having or caused by an irregular surface
-
uneven
not even or uniform as e.g. in shape or texture
-
unironed, wrinkled
(of linens or clothes) not ironed
-
unpolished
not carefully reworked or perfected or made smooth by polishing
-
irregular
contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice
-
coarse, harsh
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
-
nonslippery
not slippery; not likely to slip or skid
-
abrasive, scratchy
causing abrasion
-
alligatored, cracked
of paint or varnish; having the appearance of alligator hide
-
barky
resembling the rough bark of a tree
-
broken, rugged
topographically very uneven
-
bullate
of leaves; appearing puckered as if blistered
-
bumpy
covered with or full of bumps
-
chapped, cracked, roughened
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
-
corded, twilled
of textiles; having parallel raised lines
-
costate, ribbed
(of the surface) having a rough, riblike texture
-
cragged, craggy, hilly, mountainous
having hills and crags
-
crushed
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
-
homespun, nubbly, nubby, slubbed, tweedy
of textiles; having a rough surface
-
imbricate, imbricated
used especially of leaves or bracts; overlapping or layered as scales or shingles
-
lepidote, leprose, scabrous, scaly, scurfy
rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf
-
squamulose
covered with tiny scales
-
lined, seamed
(used especially of skin) marked by lines or seams
-
pocked, pockmarked, potholed
used of paved surfaces having holes or pits
-
rock-ribbed, rockbound
abounding in or bordered by rocky cliffs or scarps
-
bouldered, bouldery, rocky, stony
abounding in rocks or stones
-
gravelly, pebbly, shingly
abounding in small stones
-
roughish
somewhat rough
-
rugose
of leaves; ridged or wrinkled
-
sandpapery
having the abrasive texture of sandpaper
-
saw-like
having rough edges that can be used for sawing
-
scabby
covered with scabs
-
shagged, shaggy
having a very rough nap or covered with hanging shags
-
coarse-textured, rough-textured, textured
having surface roughness
-
verrucose, wartlike, warty
(of skin) covered with warts or projections that resemble warts
- show more antonyms...
-
even
-
of motion that runs or flows or proceeds without jolts or turbulence
-
smooth and unconstrained in movement
-
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
-
of the margin of a leaf shape; not broken up into teeth
-
Synonyms:
-
simple, unsubdivided
(botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions
-
compound
composed of more than one part
-
entire
(of leaves or petals) having a smooth edge; not broken up into teeth or lobes
-
repand
having a slightly undulating margin
-
sinuate
having a strongly waved margin alternately concave and convex
-
undulate
having a wavy margin and rippled surface
-
unnotched, untoothed
having no notches
-
Antonyms:
-
rough
of the margin of a leaf shape; having the edge cut or fringed or scalloped
-
simple, unsubdivided
(botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions
-
compound
composed of more than one part
-
bidentate
having toothlike projections that are themselves toothed
-
biserrate
having saw-like notches with the notches themselves similarly notched
-
ciliate, ciliated
having a margin or fringe of hairlike projections
-
crenate, crenated, scalloped
having a margin with rounded scallops
-
crenulate, crenulated
having a margin with small rounded teeth
-
crispate
wavy or notched and curled very irregularly
-
dentate
having toothlike projections in the margin
-
denticulate
having a very finely toothed margin
-
emarginate
having a notched tip
-
erose, jagged, jaggy, notched, toothed
having an irregularly notched or toothed margin as though gnawed
-
fimbriate
having a fringe of slender processes
-
fringed, laciniate
having edges irregularly and finely slashed
-
lacerate, lacerated
irregularly slashed and jagged as if torn
-
pectinate
like a comb
-
rimose
having a surface covered with a network of cracks and small crevices
-
runcinate
having incised margins with the lobes or teeth pointing toward the base; as dandelion leaves
-
notched, saw-toothed, serrate, serrated, toothed
notched like a saw with teeth pointing toward the apex
-
serrulate
minutely serrated
-
spinose
having spines
- show more antonyms...
-
simple, unsubdivided
-
(music) without breaks between notes; smooth and connected
-
synonyms:
legato
-
Antonyms:
-
disconnected, staccato
(music) marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds; cut short crisply
-
abrupt, disconnected
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
- show more antonyms...
-
disconnected, staccato
-
make smooth or smoother, as if by rubbing“smooth the surface of the wood”
-
synonyms:
smoothen
-
Antonyms:
-
roughen
make rough or rougher
-
types:
- show 9 types...
- hide 9 types...
-
strip
remove the thread (of screws)
-
launch
smoothen the surface of
-
rake
level or smooth with a rake
-
plane
make even or smooth, with or as with a carpenter's plane
-
float
make the surface of level or smooth
-
sand, sandpaper
rub with sandpaper
-
sandblast
grind with a sandblast
-
file
smooth with a file
-
rough-sand
sand roughly
-
type of:
-
change surface
undergo or cause to undergo a change in the surface
-
roughen
-
make (a surface) shine
-
the act of smoothing“he gave his hair a quick smooth”
-
type of:
-
accomplishment, achievement
the action of accomplishing something
-
accomplishment, achievement
-
lacking obstructions or difficulties“the bill's path through the legislature was smooth and orderly”
-
Synonyms:
-
easy
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
-
easy
-
smoothly agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication“the manager pacified the customer with a smooth apology for the error”
-
diplomatic, diplomatical
using or marked by tact in dealing with sensitive matters or people
-
diplomatic, diplomatical
-
free from obstructions“smooth the way towards peace negotiations”
-
synonyms:
smooth out
-
type of:
-
disembarrass, free, rid
relieve from
-
disembarrass, free, rid
Pronunciation
US
/smuð/
UK
/smuð/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘smooth'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up smooth for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
