smarten up en · VERB
Meanings
- (intransitive) To wear smart clothes and look more stylish
-
(intransitive) To make something look smart or smarter.
All the trains and the 300 stations were smartened up, "and we dared to advertise" - something that had previously been impossible because the offering was not good enough.
2026 April 1, Christian Wolmar, “Managers must be given freedom to make decisions”, in RAIL, number 1058, page 34:
- (intransitive) To become less stupid or naive
- (transitive) To make less stupid or naive
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| smartens up | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| smartening up | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| smartened up | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| smartened up | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Relateds
tart up (look more stylish) · dumb down (become/make less stupid)