as in nerd
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
a bookworm who prefers reading to just about any other activity
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Recent Examples of bookworm
In this tale as old as time, local bookworm Belle (Paige O'Hara) travels to a faraway castle where her father is being held captive by a prince–turned–beastly creature.
—
James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026
Walking through the shelves, flipping the pages, and soaking up that classic, old-book smell—for bookworms, there’s nothing better.
—Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2026
Book clubs seem to be more popular than ever, which is good news for bookworms and casual readers alike.
—De Elizabeth, Glamour, 2 Jan. 2026
Try an Icelandic Christmas Tradition Talk about nurturing a bookworm!
—Caylin Harris, Parents, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bookworm
James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026
Walking through the shelves, flipping the pages, and soaking up that classic, old-book smell—for bookworms, there’s nothing better.
—Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2026
Book clubs seem to be more popular than ever, which is good news for bookworms and casual readers alike.
—De Elizabeth, Glamour, 2 Jan. 2026
Try an Icelandic Christmas Tradition Talk about nurturing a bookworm!
—Caylin Harris, Parents, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bookworm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bookworm
Noun
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An array of charts buried in the fine print of the state budget, unknown to all but a few fiscal nerds, details what California has collected in revenues and spent over the last half-century.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
17 Feb. 2026
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For the heartfelt poster nerd, this is where collecting grows most focussed, in the pursuit of works by an individual artist.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Their designers are a bunch of obsessive geeks, in the best way possible, who take pride in producing designs no one else can touch.—
Jakob Schiller,
Outside,
16 Feb. 2026
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Jim described himself as a lifelong car geek, but his schoolteacher mother was a single parent.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bookworm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bookworm. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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