adjective · common

whip-smart

whip-smart · more whip-smart · most whip-smart

Very intelligentVery intelligent.

UK/ˈʍɪpˌsmɑːt/US/ˈwɪpˌsmɑɹt/

Meaning

1 senses

(Canada, US, informal)Very intelligent.

Origin

Inversion of earlier smart as a whip (compare rock solid, from solid as a rock; snow-white

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.

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Forms

more whip-smart, most whip-smart

Comparative	more whip-smart Lesson
Superlative	most whip-smart Lesson

regular

Synonyms

2 synonyms

smart as a whip sharp as a tack

Antonyms

113 antonyms

addlebrained addlepated softA2 beefheaded beetle-headed birdbrained blockheaded Boeotian boneheadedbraindeadbrainless bubbleheaded buffle-headed bullet-headed

Lessons for this word

2 lessons

A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form