Smart vs. Intelligent — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 19, 2023
"Smart" often refers to quick thinking and the ability to adapt, while "intelligent" suggests depth of knowledge and understanding.
Difference Between Smart and Intelligent
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Smart is often used to describe someone who can think on their feet, make quick decisions, and show adaptability. On the other hand, intelligent generally refers to someone who possesses a deep understanding, knowledge, or cognitive ability in various domains.
People described as smart might demonstrate practical skills, street smarts, or the ability to handle diverse situations effectively. In contrast, an intelligent individual might exhibit academic prowess, analytical thinking, and the capability to grasp complex concepts.
While both terms can be used interchangeably in many contexts, smart often has a more immediate, situational implication. In contrast, intelligent leans more towards a consistent, inherent trait of an individual.
Technology, especially in modern contexts, is often termed as smart when it can adapt, learn, or perform tasks efficiently. In contrast, intelligent technology might be associated with deeper learning, comprehension, or advanced problem-solving abilities.
Ultimately, being smart could be seen as an effective application of one's intelligence in real-time scenarios. Being intelligent, however, is more about possessing and applying a breadth and depth of knowledge or cognitive abilities.
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Comparison Chart
Nature
Quick thinking, adaptable.
Depth of knowledge and understanding.
Implication
Often situational or immediate.
Inherent trait or deep cognitive ability.
Usage in technology
Adaptive, efficient technology.
Deep learning, advanced problem-solving technology.
Association
Practical skills, street smarts.
Academic prowess, analytical thinking.
Scope
Effective application in real-time scenarios.
Breadth and depth of knowledge or abilities.
Compare with Definitions
Smart
Quick-witted: Able to think and respond quickly.
She gave a smart reply to the challenging question.
Intelligent
Cognitive ability: Possessing good understanding and mental capacity.
She's an intelligent student who always scores top grades.
Smart
Well-dressed: Neat and fashionable in appearance.
He looked smart in his new suit.
Intelligent
Rational: Able to think logically and make decisions.
She made an intelligent choice considering all factors.
Smart
Painful sting: A sharp, stinging pain.
The slap left a smart on his cheek.
Intelligent
Knowledgeable: Well-informed and educated.
He gave an intelligent analysis of the historical event.
Smart
(of a person) clean, tidy, and well dressed
You look very smart
Intelligent
Perceptive: Quick to understand or grasp a situation.
His intelligent insights were valued in every meeting.
Smart
Having or showing a quick-witted intelligence
If he was that smart he would never have been tricked
Intelligent
Tech with advanced learning: Technology that can learn and evolve.
The intelligent algorithm improves with each interaction.
Smart
Quick; brisk
He set off at a smart pace
Intelligent
Having or showing intelligence, especially of a high level
An intelligent guess
Anna is intelligent and hard-working
Smart
(of part of the body) feel a sharp stinging pain
Her legs were scratched and smarting
Intelligent
Having intelligence
Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy?.
Smart
Sharp stinging pain
The smart of the recent cuts
Intelligent
Having a high degree of intelligence; mentally acute
An intelligent student.
Smart
Intelligence; acumen
I don't think I have the smarts for it
Intelligent
Showing sound judgment and rationality
An intelligent decision.
An intelligent solution to the problem.
Smart
Having or showing intelligence; bright.
Intelligent
Appealing to the intellect; intellectual
A film with witty and intelligent dialogue.
Smart
Canny and shrewd in dealings with others
A smart negotiator.
Intelligent
Of high or especially quick cognitive capacity, bright.
Smart
Amusingly clever; witty
A smart quip.
A lively, smart conversation.
Intelligent
Well thought-out, well considered.
The engineer had a very intelligent design proposal for the new car.
The general devised an intelligent strategy for the southern campaign.
Smart
Impertinent; insolent
That's enough of your smart talk.
Intelligent
Characterized by thoughtful interaction.
My girlfriend and I had an intelligent conversation.
Smart
Energetic or quick in movement
A smart pace.
Intelligent
Having at least a similar level of brain power to humankind.
The hunt for intelligent life.
Smart
Fashionable; elegant
A smart suit.
A smart restaurant.
The smart set.
Intelligent
Having an environment-sensing automatically-invoked built-in computer capability.
An intelligent network or keyboard
Smart
Capable of making adjustments that resemble those resulting from human decisions, chiefly by means of electronic sensors and computer technology
Smart missiles.
Smart machines.
Intelligent
Endowed with the faculty of understanding or reason; as, man is an intelligent being.
Smart
To cause a sharp, usually superficial, stinging pain
The slap delivered to my face smarted.
Intelligent
Possessed of a high level of intelligence, education, or judgment; knowing; sensible; skilled; exhibiting high intelligence; as, an intelligent young man; an intelligent architect; an intelligent answer.
Smart
To be the location of such a pain
The incision on my leg smarts.
Intelligent
Cognizant; aware; communicative.
Intelligent of seasons.
Which are to France the spies and speculationsIntelligent of our state.
Smart
To feel such a pain.
Intelligent
Having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree;
Is there intelligent life in the universe?
An intelligent question
Smart
To suffer acutely, as from mental distress, wounded feelings, or remorse
"No creature smarts so little as a fool" (Alexander Pope).
Intelligent
Possessing sound knowledge;
Well-informed readers
Smart
Sharp pain or anguish
The smart of the wound.
Intelligent
Exercising or showing good judgment;
Healthy scepticism
A healthy fear of rattlesnakes
The healthy attitude of French laws
Healthy relations between labor and management
An intelligent solution
A sound approach to the problem
Sound advice
No sound explanation for his decision
Smart
Smarts(Slang) Intelligence; expertise
A reporter with a lot of smarts.
Intelligent
Endowed with the capacity to reason
Smart
(intransitive) To hurt or sting.
After being hit with a pitch, the batter exclaimed "Ouch, my arm smarts!"
Smart
(transitive) To cause a smart or sting in.
Smart
(intransitive) To feel a pungent pain of mind; to feel sharp pain or grief; be punished severely; to feel the sting of evil.
Smart
Exhibiting social ability or cleverness.
Smart
(informal) Exhibiting intellectual knowledge, such as that found in books.
Smart
Equipped with intelligent behaviour (digital/computer technology).
Smart car
Smart
Good-looking; well dressed; fine; fashionable.
A smart outfit
You look smart in that business suit.
Smart
Cleverly shrewd and humorous in a way that may be rude and disrespectful.
He became tired of his daughter's sarcasm and smart remarks.
Don't get smart with me!
Smart
Sudden and intense.
Smart
Causing sharp pain; stinging.
Smart
Sharp; keen; poignant.
A smart pain
Smart
Intense in feeling; painful. Used usually with the adverb intensifier right.
He raised his voice, and it hurt her feelings right smart.
That cast on his leg chaffs him right smart.
Smart
(archaic) Efficient; vigorous; brilliant.
Smart
(archaic) Pretentious; showy; spruce.
A smart gown
Smart
(archaic) Brisk; fresh.
A smart breeze
Smart
A sharp, quick, lively pain; a sting.
Smart
Mental pain or suffering; grief; affliction.
Smart
Smart-money.
Smart
A dandy; one who is smart in dress; one who is brisk, vivacious, or clever.
Smart
To feel a lively, pungent local pain; - said of some part of the body as the seat of irritation; as, my finger smarts; these wounds smart.
Smart
To feel a pungent pain of mind; to feel sharp pain or grief; to suffer; to feel the sting of evil; as, the team is still smarting from its loss of the championship.
No creature smarts so little as a fool.
He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it.
Smart
To cause a smart in.
Smart
Quick, pungent, lively pain; a pricking local pain, as the pain from puncture by nettles.
Smart
Severe, pungent pain of mind; pungent grief; as, the smart of affliction.
To stand 'twixt us and our deserved smart.
Counsel mitigates the greatest smart.
Smart
A fellow who affects smartness, briskness, and vivacity; a dandy.
Smart
Smart money (see below).
Smart
Causing a smart; pungent; pricking; as, a smart stroke or taste.
How smart lash that speech doth give my conscience.
Smart
Keen; severe; poignant; as, smart pain.
Smart
Vigorous; sharp; severe.
Smart
Accomplishing, or able to accomplish, results quickly; active; sharp; clever.
Smart
Efficient; vigorous; brilliant.
Smart
Marked by acuteness or shrewdness; quick in suggestion or reply; vivacious; witty; as, a smart reply; a smart saying.
Who, for the poor renown of being smartWould leave a sting within a brother's heart?
A sentence or two, . . . which I thought very smart.
Smart
Pretentious; showy; spruce; as, a smart gown.
Smart
Brisk; fresh; as, a smart breeze.
Smart
A kind of pain such as that caused by a wound or a burn or a sore
Smart
Be the source of pain
Smart
Showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
Smart
Elegant and stylish;
Chic elegance
A smart new dress
A suit of voguish cut
Smart
Characterized by quickness and ease in learning;
Some children are brighter in one subject than another
Smart children talk earlier than the average
Smart
Improperly forward or bold;
Don't be fresh with me
Impertinent of a child to lecture a grownup
An impudent boy given to insulting strangers
Smart
Marked by smartness in dress and manners;
A dapper young man
A jaunty red hat
Smart
Efficient: Able to do things well and promptly.
Her smart planning ensured the project's success.
Smart
Technologically advanced: Equipped with the latest technology.
My smart TV connects directly to the internet.
Common Curiosities
Can a person be intelligent but not smart?
Yes, someone might possess deep knowledge (intelligent) but struggle with quick, on-the-spot decisions (smart).
Do smart decisions always come from intelligent people?
Not necessarily. Even those who aren't academically gifted can make smart decisions based on experience or intuition.
Is being smart the same as being intelligent?
While similar, "smart" often implies quick thinking, while "intelligent" suggests depth of understanding.
How is "book smart" different from "intelligent"?
"Book smart" implies knowledge gained from studies, while "intelligent" is a broader term encompassing understanding and cognitive abilities.
Can intelligence be measured?
While IQ tests aim to measure intelligence, they capture only certain facets and aren't comprehensive.
Can an action be termed as smart or intelligent?
Yes, an action can be called "smart" if it's effective and timely, and "intelligent" if it reflects deep thought or understanding.
Is intelligence always innate?
While some aspects of intelligence are innate, it can also be cultivated through learning and experience.
Which term, smart or intelligent, is used more for technology?
"Smart" is commonly used for adaptive technology, while "intelligent" implies deeper learning or problem-solving.
Are smart choices always the right choices?
Not always. A choice might seem smart in the moment but may not be the best in the long run.
Can a device be smart but not intelligent?
Yes, a device can be efficient and adaptive (smart) without possessing advanced learning capabilities (intelligent).
Is "street smart" the opposite of "intelligent"?
No, "street smart" is practical wisdom or experience, while "intelligent" denotes cognitive ability. One can be both.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
