nerd

play

noun \ ˈnərd \

Definition of nerd

:an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially :one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits

computer nerds

… single-minded math and science nerds …
—Anna Quindlen

—

nerdiness

play \ˈnər-dē-nəs\ noun

—

nerdish

play \ˈnər-dish\ adjective

—

nerdy

play \ˈnər-dē\ adjective

See nerd defined for English-language learners

See nerd defined for kids

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 of nerd from the Web

Ever the business nerd, Krim can’t resist calling out the more important book below it.

— erin griffith, Fortune, "How Casper Flipped the Mattress Industry," 23 Aug. 2017
That is why, say, the nerds of FiveThirtyEight rate pollsters to give everyone a clear way to understand varying poll quality.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "The Rising Tide of Shoddy Polls," 23 Aug. 2017
The backpack is the rebel of the men's bag universe: reserved not just for college kids but for actual kids, kids at heart, runways, nerds, artists, and...well, you.

— megan gustashaw, GQ, "The 30 Backpacks Your Shoulders Deserve This Fall," 23 Aug. 2017
Rackley, 65, was a science nerd growing up, the kind of kid with a chemistry set and three-inch telescope.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "Eclipse chasers can’t stop at just one," 18 Aug. 2017
Their online personas — knights, Vikings, reincarnations of Charles Martel — will be familiar enough to anybody with a Dungeons and Dragons nerd in his life.

— kevin d. williamson, National Review, "Angry White Boys," 16 Aug. 2017
Of Colonel Brandon, whom Willoughby mocks for his reserve, and whose eventual triumph with Marianne constitutes the original revenge of the nerds.

— rosa inocencio smith, The Atlantic, "Jane Austen and the Redemption of Gawkiness," 19 July 2017
In that moment, the nerd in me was transported to Westeros, to an increasingly amoral society, unmoored from its traditions and full of entitled and ambitious men and women who compete for power with unrestrained viciousness.

— david french, National Review, "A Game for Our Time," 16 July 2017
But this show is meta on steroids, designed to appeal to one's inner theater-nerd 'tween.

— kerry reid, chicagotribune.com, "Nothing succeeds like excess in the Shakes-spoof 'Something Rotten!'," 13 July 2017

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

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.

Origin and Etymology of nerd

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1951

See Words from the same year

nerd Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

anti-intellectual, lowbrow, philistine

Related Words

double-dome, egghead, highbrow, intellectual; brain, genius; academic, bookman, scholar; gearhead, techie

Near Antonyms

goldbrick, goof-off, slacker, underachiever; lowbrow

NERD Defined for English Language Learners

nerd

play

noun

Definition of nerd for English Language Learners

: a person who behaves awkwardly around other people and usually has unstylish clothes, hair, etc.
: a person who is very interested in technical subjects, computers, etc.