NERDISH Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

nerdish

adjective

as in intellectual

much given to learning and thinking nerdish students will find several university organizations where they will fit in

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of nerdish In a deliberately cheap-looking black-and-white faux-’50s horror movie, the comedy team of Tim & Eric (Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim) play nerdish mad scientists who capture and bring to their laboratory a dino-fish monster who looks like a chomping-jawed gill-man made of papier-mâché. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerdish

Adjective

The nastiness of intellectual disputes, therefore, depends in part on how people frame their positions.

— Andras Molnar, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026
Hershiser has enjoyed the intellectual challenge of mastering the mechanics of covering baseball for a TV audience.

— Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of intellectual

Adjective

The Actor Awards have voter crossover with the Emmys, unlike the Globes and Critics Choice, but The Diplomat is a far more SAG-friendly show than the cerebral Pluribus, which didn’t get an ensemble bid with the guild, unlike The Diplomat.

— Joyce Eng, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026
The autopsy also found Martinez suffered pulmonary and mild cerebral edema, a potentially deadly condition where excess fluid accumulates in the lungs and brain.

— Perry Vandell, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of cerebral

Adjective

There will no longer be a need for a nerdy developer with no people skills.

— Kiran Kodithala, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
The duo encourages fans to do the same at upcoming shows in New York, Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles this fall—like the friendship bracelet’s nerdy big sister or adult DIY Scholastic Book Fairs.

— Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of nerdy

Adjective

Katz is known for a curatorial ethos that places scholarly rigor and popular appeal on equal footing.

— News Desk, Artforum, 13 Aug. 2026
Faculty hiring and promotion should be based on scholarly merit through peer review, not political expectations imposed from Washington.

— Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of scholarly

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nerd

nerdish

nerds

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“Nerdish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerdish. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of nerdish

adjective

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