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

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

Whiskey nerds will immediately recognize what that last one means: Yes, Shiner will soon be selling its own bourbon. —Ryan J. Rusak, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2024

With a struggling Marble Queen Pothos and an earnest interest in how to care for and ultimately restore it, the nature nerd and author of You Grow, Gurl! —Essence, 2 Apr. 2024

There are celebrities signing autographs, games to play and tons of cool merch from vendors selling toys, apparel, books, graphic novels and just about everything to make your inner nerd happy. —The Indianapolis Star, 22 Mar. 2024

Recently, though, the data nerds (not pejorative) at The New York Times did their due diligence to determine if Swift had made NFL games, or even just Chiefs games, more popular. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024

Since disappearing, Earhart keeps surfacing, born aloft on wild postulations from a cottage industry staffed with history buffs, aviation nerds and undersea explorers. —Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024

One is a nerd of denim, and the other other is a nerd of farming. —Mark Holgate, Vogue, 7 Mar. 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