as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
kept getting typecast as the hero's dorky sidekick
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Recent Examples of dorky
Geek Squad Not too long ago, the analytics department was the domain of the dorky nerds of the NFL.
—
Dianna Russini, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Phoenix is cast against type as the dorky kid.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2025
Prepare for an extremely dorky confession.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Some are kind of dorky; others are raunchy.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dorky
Dianna Russini, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Phoenix is cast against type as the dorky kid.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2025
Prepare for an extremely dorky confession.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Some are kind of dorky; others are raunchy.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dorky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dorky
Adjective
-
Okay, there's trying something new and then there's just being dumb.—
Samantha Highfill,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Why portray Dorothy as a doe-eyed ding-a-ling; as not just naive but dumb?—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
What happens, though, when those excesses transcend the merely stupid, the merely unjust, to become existential?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
People who approve of ICE’s actions aren’t necessarily stupid or evil.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some folks who were moving a little slow, some folks wanted to dilute the Canadiana or the Big C Canadian of it.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In practice, the process is slow, burdensome, and uncertain.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In such a world, simple answers won’t do; only the courage to ask the hardest questions will push us forward.—
Daphne Koller,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Knox, who committed to wrestle at Rutgers University, and his dad were initially charged with simple assault for purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury after a brawl broke out at Collingswood High School on February.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
What remains, the thick, black, and dense oil, required special techniques to be brought to the surface.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
As a Boston native, Stone’s accent is thicker than chowdah, bless her, with a laugh that lilts like a fly ball onto Lansdowne Street.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dorky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dorky. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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