Definition of DORK

Synonyms for dork

Synonyms

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. Geek became synonymous with nerd in the 1950s. Prior to this, the word 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.

Examples of dork in a Sentence

I look like a complete dork in these clothes.

Recent Examples on the Web

His style, with its healthy punch of dork factor, is of the now in a way that is similar to Post Malone’s very self-aware, disheveled, sleazy look. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Bad Bunny Is the Goofy Fashion Heartthrob We Need Now," 28 Nov. 2018 The surviving twin, Will (the beautiful and hilarious Cole Allen), treats his dad like a dork. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Kidding’ Review: Adult Emotions on Children’s TV," 13 Sep. 2018 Writing down the jokes can’t translate their onstage effectiveness as a litany of Dadaist dork humor, but here are a few: There’s a dead cat. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Gettin’ the Band Back Together is a giant musical comedy dad joke. To hate it is to hate joy.," 28 Aug. 2018 To see this brand-new stretch of ocean, the deep-sea team is sending a craft full of high-tech touchscreens and a three-strong crew of joke-cracking dorks. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "The Meg film review: We’re going to need a stupider boat," 10 Aug. 2018 That gut punch of a goodbye came during Monday night’s installment of The Bachelorette when Becca Kufrin sent home Wills Reid, the handsome, Harry Potter loving dork who nerded his way into America’s heart. — refinery29.com, "Can We Start The Wills Reid For Bachelor Campaign Right Now?," 10 July 2018 His heroine, Irene (Michelle McLeod) is a chubby, overprotected dork who wants to be a cheerleader, despite the protestations of her mom Lydia (Anastasia Phillips), a former pepster herself. — Katie Walsh, latimes.com, "Spirited Canadian comedy 'Don't Talk to Irene' tempers its sugar with just enough sour," 1 Mar. 2018 Car dorks of the sort that populate the C/D offices will be quick to point out that the Roxor resembles the megarare Alfa Romeo 1900M Matta 4×4; those with truly arcane tastes will name-check the Crosley Farm-O-Road. — Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, "Detroit-Built Mahindra Roxor Off-Road Vehicle Revealed: Is This the Mini Jeep We Need?," 2 Mar. 2018 These dorks from Delco keep calling in saying Jorts are cool, stop taking their calls @Ike58Reese @JonMarksMedia @94WIP 6. — Stephanie Farr, Philly.com, "Welcome to Delco, South Philly. Here's what you need to know," 20 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dork.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.