to smarten up
1
4.8
- phrasal verb
- /ˈsmɑːrtən ʌp/
- Informal
:
arreglarse
- She decided to smarten up the garden by adding some colorful flowers.
Examples
-
But, uh, then she smartened up.
-
A new coat can really smarten up your appearance for the event.
-
I want you to smarten up too.
-
That's because I smartened up and I gave up art
-
Why don't you smarten up?
-
Hey, listen, you want to smarten up and help us out or am I gonna have to call somebody at ICE and have you on the next plane to kielbasa-land?
-
He always tries to smarten up his outfit before going to an interview.
Synonyms
86
2.0
To wash and make yourself look neat
56
3.4
Make something look nicer or more attractive for a special event
32
1.5
Make a room or desk neat by putting things in their right place
26
4.1
To make a place or person look neat and smart
13
3.8
To make yourself or a place look cleaner and nicer
11
5.7
To be well dressed and neat
8
2.7
Make a room neat by putting things away
7
3.9
Make yourself look attractive by dressing and doing your hair or makeup
6
4.3
Make people and places look nicer by dressing up, adding decorations, or using makeup
4
3.0
Make a room look cleaner and nicer with small changes
3
8.0
To make something look neater and more attractive with small changes
3
3.9
To make someone or something look neater and more attractive
1
7.2
Make a person or place look neater and nicer by cleaning and adding small things
1
6.8
Make yourself or someone more stylish using clothes and makeup
1
7.2
To dress up and make yourself look attractive for a special event
1
3.7
To make something tidy by arranging things in order
1
5.0
Make something look more attractive, often only on the surface
To make a place or yourself neat and look nicer
To make something or yourself look neat and attractive
Make a person look neat and more attractive by dressing and grooming them carefully
Make something look more stylish and attractive
To make something a little more stylish with small changes
To dress neatly and formally for an event
Antonyms
How Neat
- Informal
1
6.8
178
2.7
- Informal
1
4.8
- Informal
13
3.8
- Informal
32
1.5
1
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb is largely compositional: 'smarten' (make smart/improve) combined with the particle 'up' (indicating improvement) yields a general meaning of making something better or smarter, which a B1 learner who knows the parts can infer. However, the specific technical sense of adding features to a device or system to make it 'intelligent' is a metaphorical extension from appearance/improvement and may not be fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Smarten up comes from the idea of becoming smart which means neat or well dressed, and up shows a change. Imagine putting on a clean jacket or tidying a room to look nicer, and that's why it means 'to make yourself or something look neat or more stylish'.