nerd

noun

ˈnərd 

plural nerds

1

: a person devoted to intellectual, academic, or technical pursuits or interests

This book is essential reading for every hacker, computer nerd, systems analyst, middle manager or computer-store browser enamored of computer wizardry.

—William Stockton

He's happy to be thought of as a nerd with street cred. He [Neil deGrasse Tyson] shines best in impromptu settings like talk shows or needling cosmologists at the annual Asimov debates … about nothingness or alternate universes.

—Dennis Overbye

Will a dab of Shakespeare daintily perfume my wit or just sound like the literary belching of a compulsive nerd?

—Gary Taylor

also : a person preoccupied with or devoted to a particular activity or field of interest

At college she was a theater nerd. … "I wasn't afraid to jam, with the windows down, to Phantom of the Opera," she [Kristen Bell] says.

—Troy Patterson

Working beside him is his partner, Ron Johnson, another self-described snow nerd …

—David Quammen

2

: an unstylish or socially awkward person

[Sitcom character Steven Q.] Urkel is loaded with everything in the nerd's bag of tics: suspenders, spectacles, squeaks, snorts, and scrawniness.

—Shelley Levitt

nerdiness

ˈnər-dē-nəs 

noun

With his brother Hank he heads a YouTube channel with 2 million subscribers and an organization … that advances social causes and generally celebrates nerdiness.

—Lev Grossman

nerdish

ˈnər-dish 

adjective

… a nerdish type in one corner was madly tapping the keys of a laptop computer.

—Ian Stewart

nerdy

ˈnər-dē 

adjective

He and his two pals aren't even nerdy enough to join the debate team or the science club, but they dote on superhero comic books.

—Richard Alleva

Did you know?

Of Nerds, Geeks, and Dorks

Dork, when used to refer to a socially awkward or inept person, is a relatively recent word: our records indicate that it first appeared in writing in the 1960s. Two of its synonyms in this sense are likewise of fairly recent vintage. Nerd (typically used of a studious species of dork) dates from the 1950s; it was coined by Dr. Seuss in his 1950 book If I Ran the Zoo, although not in the sense that we use today. The usage of nerd is now often used in a neutral fashion to denote enthusiasm or expertise (theater nerd) or proudly as a self-identifying trait (word nerd). Geek became synonymous with nerd in the 1950s and has similarly seen increasing use with positive connotations, showing membership in a specialized group (film geek, beer geek) rather than social awkwardness. In its earliest meanings, geek referred to, among other things, a carnival performer who would bite the head off a live chicken, or other small animal, as part of an act.

Synonyms

• bookworm
• dink [slang]
• dork [slang]
• geek
• grind
• swot [British]
• weenie
• wonk

Examples of nerd in a Sentence

He dresses like a nerd.

was such a nerd in college that she spent Saturday nights at the library

Recent Examples on the Web

The movie was distributed on DVD in the U.S. by the company Tartan Asia Extreme—a sort of A24 of the aughts for message-board movie nerds interested in grindhouse Asian horror—and achieved huge popularity, though it was still passed around like a secret. —Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Comedy nerds and oddballs of all stripes embraced the show, especially its singularly off-putting heroine, a woman with a garish overbite, a sordid past and a strangely infectious nasal drawl. —Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024

At a school where cool kids are nerds, nearly everyone has an amazing talent, and the majority of the student body is Asian American, the things that usually make a person stand out can feel not good enough, even commonplace. —Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024

From cloud streaming games to CarPlay, the DOJ complaint tries to rope in the burning grievances of every kind of nerd and then some. —Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 22 Mar. 2024

Silicon Valley’s richest nerds seem dead certain that AI will make our world a better place. —Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024

Every nerd's dream: a badass secret agent (Yvonne Strahovski) with a heart of gold. —Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024

That’s when six native-plant nerds took the stage, plugged in their musical instruments and sonically set the room on fire. —Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024

Which is an interesting way of saying that nerds are going to be spending their Monday shooting a bunch of rockets from that little island horse girls are obsessed with, but OK. —Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from nerd, a creature in the children's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950) by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

nerd

noun

ˈnərd 

1

: an unstylish, unattractive, or socially awkward person

2

: a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits

nerdy

ˈnər-dē 

adjective