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Of Nerds, Geeks, and Dorks
This trio of words historically refers to the uncool among us. 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 may have been coined by Dr. Seuss in his 1950 book If I Ran the Zoo, although not in the sense that we use today. 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, highlighting 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.
Examples of geek in a Sentence
Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Desperate to return to his own era to help save his kin, Rex must team up with a gang of nerds, freaks and geeks to go back 65 million years in time.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 10 June 2025
Cynthia Erivo sang-hosted the June 8 ceremony from Radio City Music Hall, making several dreams come true for a room full of theater geeks.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 9 June 2025
Cycling geeks come to watch the famous Tour de Flanders and visit the cycling museum in Oudenaarde, and beer lovers can create their dream cycling and beer tasting tour.
—Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for geek
Cite this Entry
“Geek.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geek. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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