smooth
[ smooth ]
/ smuð /
adjective, smooth·er, smooth·est.
free from projections or unevenness of surface; not rough: smooth wood; a smooth road.
generally flat or unruffled, as a calm sea.
free from hairs or a hairy growth: a smooth cheek.
of uniform consistency; free from lumps, as a batter, sauce, etc.
free from or proceeding without abrupt curves, bends, etc.: a smooth ride.
allowing or having an even, uninterrupted movement or flow: smooth driving.
easy and uniform, as motion or the working of a machine.
having projections worn away: a smooth tire casing.
free from hindrances or difficulties: a smooth day at the office.
noting a metal file having the minimum commercial grade of coarseness for a single-cut file.
Compare dead-smooth.
undisturbed, tranquil, or equable, as the feelings, temper, etc.; serene: a smooth disposition.
elegant, easy, or polished: smooth manners.
ingratiatingly polite or suave: That salesman is a smooth talker.
free from harshness, sharpness, or bite; bland or mellow, as cheese or wine.
not harsh to the ear, as sound: the smooth music of a ballroom dance band.
Phonetics.
without aspiration.
adverb
in a smooth manner; smoothly.
verb (used with object)
to make smooth of surface, as by scraping, planing, or pressing.
to remove (projections, ridges, wrinkles, etc.) in making something smooth (often followed by away or out).
to free from difficulties.
to remove (obstacles) from a path (often followed by away).
to make more polished, elegant, or agreeable, as wording or manners.
to tranquilize, calm, or soothe (a person, the feelings, etc.).
Mathematics.
to simplify (an expression) by substituting approximate or certain known values for the variables.
noun
act of smoothing: She adjusted the folds with a smooth of her hand.
something that is smooth; a smooth part or place: through the rough and the smooth.
Verb Phrases
smooth over,
to make seem less severe, disagreeable, or irreconcilable; allay; mitigate: He smoothed over my disappointment with kind words.
Origin of smooth
before 1050; (adj.) Middle English
smothe, late Old English
smōth; compare Middle English
smethe, Old English
smēthe smooth; cognate with Old Saxon
smōthi; (v.) late Middle English
smothen, derivative of the adj.; replacing Middle English
smethen, Old English
smēth(i)an
OTHER WORDS FROM smooth
smooth·a·ble, adjective
smooth·er, noun
smooth·ly, adverb
smooth·ness, noun
o·ver·smooth, adjective
o·ver·smooth·ly, adverb
o·ver·smooth·ness, noun
pre·smooth, verb (used with object)
re·smooth, verb (used with object)
un·smooth, adjective
un·smooth·ly, adverb
un·smooth·ness, noun
un·smoothed, adjective
Words nearby smooth
smollett,
smolt,
smooch,
smoodge,
smoosh,
smooth,
smooth as silk,
smooth breathing,
smooth collie,
smooth diet,
smooth dogfish
Words related to smoothly
Example sentences from the Web for smoothly
And George Herbert Walker Bush for smoothly overseeing the end of the Cold War.
Will the Tapes That Destroyed Nixon Help Rehabilitate His Image? |Scott Porch |August 6, 2014 |DAILY BEASTUntil recently, Rice was smoothly on track to become the Edmund Hillary of foreign-policy strivers.
Susan Rice Didn’t Deserve State Post, Let Alone Her U.N. Role |Jacob Heilbrunn |December 14, 2012 |DAILY BEASTFormer Moral Majoritarian Ralph Reed smoothly explained how.
The GOP Faces Years in the Wilderness After 2012 Election Losses |Robert Shrum |November 26, 2012 |DAILY BEASTWill the project live up to its apocalyptic name—or go as smoothly as the first Carmageddon 14 months ago?
Los Angeles Area Girds for Carmageddon II Freeway Closure |Christine Pelisek |September 28, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
But her first run didn't quite go as smoothly as her teammates had hoped.
And with that idea to guide her, she found the days slide by smoothly.
Big Timber |Bertrand W. SinclairIn order to learn how smoothly we have only to present ourselves at a certain important social function.
The Sins of Sverac Bablon |Sax RohmerThe head is too large, because the tying silk is not wound tightly and smoothly.
How to Tie Flies |E. C. Gregg"It would be against my duty to permit you to incarcerate this miscreant," he said smoothly.
Highways in Hiding |George Oliver SmithMrs. Vervain went on, smoothly: "I supposed it might have struck you that there were times when we presented that appearance."
The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton, Part 1 (of 10) |Edith Wharton
British Dictionary definitions for smoothly
smooth
/ (smuːð) /
adjective
resting in the same plane; without bends or irregularities
silky to the touch
smooth velvet
lacking roughness of surface; flat
tranquil or unruffled
smooth temper
lacking obstructions or difficulties
- suave or persuasive, esp as suggestive of insincerity
- (in combination)smooth-tongued
(of the skin) free from hair
of uniform consistency
smooth batter
not erratic; free from jolts
smooth driving
not harsh or astringent
a smooth wine
having all projections worn away
smooth tyres
maths
(of a curve) differentiable at every point
phonetics
without preliminary or simultaneous aspiration
gentle to the ear; flowing
physics
(of a plane, surface, etc) regarded as being frictionless
adverb
in a calm or even manner; smoothly
verb (mainly tr)
(also intr often foll by down)
to make or become flattened or without roughness or obstructions
(often foll by out or away)
to take or rub (away) in order to make smooth
she smoothed out the creases in her dress
to make calm; soothe
to make easier
smooth his path
electrical engineering
to remove alternating current ripple from the output of a direct current power supply
obsolete
to make more polished or refined
noun
the smooth part of something
the act of smoothing
tennis squash badminton
the side of a racket on which the binding strings form a continuous line
Compare rough (def. 27)
See also
smooth over
Derived forms of smooth
smoothable, adjective smoother, noun smoothly, adverb smoothness, nounWord Origin for smooth
Old English
smōth; related to Old Saxon
māthmundi gentle-minded,
smōthi smooth
Idioms and Phrases with smoothly
smooth
In addition to the idioms beginning with smooth
- smooth as silk
- smooth over
- smooth sailing
also see:
- take the rough with the smooth