1
as in nerds
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
we became friends when we discovered we were both dorks who had memorized the periodic table in high school
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiots
a stupid person
he tried to be suave, but she still thought he was a dork
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dorks
And to our original troupe of foul-mouthed dorks (compliment) — Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers, and Dustin Henderson — the Party comes before all else.
—
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Because despite their wealth and power, NFL and Fox Sports executives are at heart jock-sniffing dorks who will do anything to appease a good sports player, and pretty blonde girls.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
Those Park-Conklins are such sweet dorks.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Because despite their wealth and power, NFL and Fox Sports executives are at heart jock-sniffing dorks who will do anything to appease a good sports player, and pretty blonde girls.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
Those Park-Conklins are such sweet dorks.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dorks
Noun
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Perhaps the most famous home in Los Angeles, The Stahl House, designed by modernist master Pierre Koenig, has inspired countless architecture nerds.—
Hadley Meares,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
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Advertisement Especially for comedy nerds, the behind-the-scenes anecdotes about working with legends like Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder might be familiar.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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His strict and meticulous methodologies taught some of the smartest people on the planet how to behave like complete idiots, paving the way for a new generation of red-nosed fools to pratfall onto the stage.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Franchises are lost because of proud idiots.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The stamp of the vaunted independent hip-hop label—which has built a reputation among its community of fanatical diehards and like-minded rap geeks for its lyric-forward, anti-commercial approach—can bring new eyes to a rapper overnight.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
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For airline geeks and loyal fans of the Emirates brand, the livery was probably the highlight announcement coming from Dubai this week.—
Paula Conway,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Dilbert principle — traced back to a quote in a 1995 strip — posited that managers and higher-ups are actually successful morons whose stubbornness is confused for real leadership qualities.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
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Overwhelmingly, though, the most common response was to seek confirmation of their suspicions that Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were morons.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Even then, though, the popular take — the story of the lunatics taking over asylum — didn’t sit right with me.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Beating these lunatics was incredible, right?—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dorks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dorks. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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