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As Superman fans know, Brainiac was the superintelligent villain in the Action Comics series and its spin-offs. His name is a portmanteau of brain and maniac. You don't need x-ray vision to see the connection here—etymologists think Superman's brainy adversary is the likely inspiration for the common noun brainiac. The term was not coined right away though. The comic-book series was launched in 1938 and the character Brainiac debuted in 1958, but current evidence doesn't show general use of brainiac to refer to a superintelligent person until the 1970s.
Examples of brainiac in a Sentence
Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
Our sweet brainiac med student, Javadi, realizes that not-so-sweet brainiac med student Ogilvie might be some real competition for a spot in the ED residency program at PTMC.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
By the time season 3 begins, that empire is thriving, with Dwight having amassed a loyal team of hustlers, killers, and brainiacs.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
There’s something rare about Swain, who is a young brainiac, but one who has built his business the old-fashioned, pre-quant-trading and Excel models Wall Street way, via charm offensives that weave webs of tight relationships few rivals can match.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Brainiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brainiac. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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