Your house isn't a genius. That's fine. A smart home is one where connected sensors, controls, and software coordinate useful work: lighting that suits the hour, climate that follows a schedule, or a leak alert that arrives before water reaches the next room. You can still use the wall switch. Important routines have a fallback.
That is a better definition than “a house full of gadgets.” A phone turning on a lamp offers remote control. A motion sensor turning it on only when the room is dark adds automation. A good setup also knows when to leave the lamp alone.
The name has history. People used timers, thermostats, and alarms long before the industry called a house smart. The modern industry label took shape in 1984, when the National Association of Home Builders' research organization brought companies together around its Smart House effort. The idea was to help electrical and electronic systems communicate and work together. An industry retrospective describes the early program. That history does not establish who first said “smart home”; it shows where a prominent industry use of the name emerged.
Today the label covers everything from one Wi-Fi plug to a carefully designed home. Researchers still find the terminology inconsistent. So the useful question is not “How smart is it?” Ask: What does this make easier for the people who live here?
If a device adds an app, an account, and a failure point without improving daily life, the house did not get smarter. It got busier.