whip-smart

adjective

ˈ(h)wip-ˌsmärt 

variants or less commonly whip smart or whipsmart

: very smart or clever

whip-smart dialogue

But underestimate or patronise Jessica at your peril. She's whip-smart, ultra-ambitious and brutally honest.

—Kerry Potter

He is also whip smart and tenacious, driven and efficient, typical of the breed so often attracted to academic medical research.

—Lisa Belkin

Examples of whip-smart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s no hint of the speaker’s apparent annoyance in this delightful, whip-smart number. —Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025

As the self-sufficient adolescent Ari, Bateman delivers a performance wise beyond her years, with whip-smart comedic and dramatic timing born from instinctive avoidance. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Mar. 2025

Now suppose your new whip-smart and informed marketing AI agent handled these tasks automatically, even optimizing placements precisely for the best results. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025

Gatiss plays eccentric but whip-smart bookshop owner Gabriel Book in Bookish, which is produced by Eagle Eye and Happy Duck Films. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for whip-smart

• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart
• upstart