1
as in geeks
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
was such a nerd in college that she spent Saturday nights at the library
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intellectuals
a person with strong intellectual interests
an unlikely romance between a nerd and a campus beauty queen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nerds
But now this metropolis of some 2 million people has more and more options for later in the day, ranging from an intimate dining counter where a local chef nerds out about indigenous ingredients to a sleek izakaya bar where the city’s scene-seeking gastronomes gather for spicy tuna hand rolls.
—
Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
But that’s only the kind of backstory that film nerds need to know.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 20 Aug. 2025
But many of its two thousand-plus employees, who produce the monthly jobs report, the Consumer Price Index, and other official economic releases, are proud data nerds.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Chavious slings pies at Bike Dog’s 66th Street location most Thursdays, fueling the minds of eager trivia nerds packing the taproom.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Using proprietary information, access to Hollywood deal flow and a small but mighty team of statistics nerds, the agency aims to forecast the impact of a placement and help brands determine where to put their ad dollars.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
The nerds down the street from the Niners’ facility would say this team is in a state of quantum superposition.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
But among whiskey nerds, Bushmills is best known for its single malts.
—David Thomas Tao, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Fair to say that the Ichiban has already accomplished its primary objective of getting moto nerds to drool over it on their phone screens – even though there is little likelihood that it will be built as it is envisioned.
—New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2025
Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
But that’s only the kind of backstory that film nerds need to know.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 20 Aug. 2025
But many of its two thousand-plus employees, who produce the monthly jobs report, the Consumer Price Index, and other official economic releases, are proud data nerds.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Chavious slings pies at Bike Dog’s 66th Street location most Thursdays, fueling the minds of eager trivia nerds packing the taproom.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Using proprietary information, access to Hollywood deal flow and a small but mighty team of statistics nerds, the agency aims to forecast the impact of a placement and help brands determine where to put their ad dollars.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
The nerds down the street from the Niners’ facility would say this team is in a state of quantum superposition.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
But among whiskey nerds, Bushmills is best known for its single malts.
—David Thomas Tao, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Fair to say that the Ichiban has already accomplished its primary objective of getting moto nerds to drool over it on their phone screens – even though there is little likelihood that it will be built as it is envisioned.
—New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerds
Noun
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Carolyn thought that freaks and geeks would be more appreciated and understood by fellow players after the triumph of another goofy fan favorite on Survivor 42.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
18 Aug. 2025
-
The fantastically versatile Billie Piper, who has charmed geeks in Doctor Who and goths in Penny Dreadful, makes an intriguing foil for cello phenom Wednesday as the school’s new head of music.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The first National Conservatism conferences drew students and intellectuals who felt marginalized by the Republican Party and dreamed about taking power.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Noah Baumbach’s painfully incisive portrait of a family divorce among a remarkably prickly family of Brooklyn intellectuals finds so many ways to showcase its characters’ most brittle sides.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nerds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerds. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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