as in intellectual
much given to learning and thinking
a fringe party of nerdy political activists who have no chance of getting elected
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Recent Examples of nerdy
In interviews, the 26-year-old electro-pop artist and producer has referenced growing up as one of few Asian teenagers in Wichita, Kansas, and feeling perpetually nerdy and uncool.
—
Lydia Wei, Pitchfork, 13 Apr. 2026
This family-run business brings a delightful mix of humor with nerdy plant know-how.
—Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 10 Apr. 2026
This spring, the nerdy nostalgist can find several depictions of campus life on their small screen.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
When not swallowing condoms of cocaine, Rue camps on the couch of nerdy Lexi (Maude Apatow), who, like the resilient Maddy (Alexa Demie), found an assistant job in Hollywood.
—Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
The career mode now gets real-world sponsors; there are new, super-nerdy widgets for the HUD that detail the innerworkings of the powertrain and ECU; track art, foliage, and environmental lighting have seen a lift; and AI has been further balanced, just to name a few other touch-ups.
—Adam Ismail, The Drive, 25 Mar. 2026
Brendon's character was beloved for his ability to transform insecurity, irony, and vulnerability into a new model of nerdy masculinity.
—Marzia Nicolini, Vanity Fair, 21 Mar. 2026
Sporting a tan fedora and stuffing his hands in his pockets, Weir has a half smile that’s always primed for a nerdy joke.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Flatter, though, were sketches about a pair of Best Buy workers, and one where Styles played a drive-thru worker at a White Castle, but that’s because Jane Wickline and Veronika Slowikowska stole the skit as a pair of nerdy girls trying to ask him out to the school dance.
—Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Lydia Wei, Pitchfork, 13 Apr. 2026
This family-run business brings a delightful mix of humor with nerdy plant know-how.
—Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 10 Apr. 2026
This spring, the nerdy nostalgist can find several depictions of campus life on their small screen.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
When not swallowing condoms of cocaine, Rue camps on the couch of nerdy Lexi (Maude Apatow), who, like the resilient Maddy (Alexa Demie), found an assistant job in Hollywood.
—Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
The career mode now gets real-world sponsors; there are new, super-nerdy widgets for the HUD that detail the innerworkings of the powertrain and ECU; track art, foliage, and environmental lighting have seen a lift; and AI has been further balanced, just to name a few other touch-ups.
—Adam Ismail, The Drive, 25 Mar. 2026
Brendon's character was beloved for his ability to transform insecurity, irony, and vulnerability into a new model of nerdy masculinity.
—Marzia Nicolini, Vanity Fair, 21 Mar. 2026
Sporting a tan fedora and stuffing his hands in his pockets, Weir has a half smile that’s always primed for a nerdy joke.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Flatter, though, were sketches about a pair of Best Buy workers, and one where Styles played a drive-thru worker at a White Castle, but that’s because Jane Wickline and Veronika Slowikowska stole the skit as a pair of nerdy girls trying to ask him out to the school dance.
—Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerdy
Adjective
-
The trio, and others in their intellectual circle, share a few radical views.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
There are moments when the book, in defending Giacometti, seems to overburden his oeuvre with an exponential set of aesthetic, intellectual, and political problems, from resolving the tensions between modernism and the avant-garde to a singular working through of national trauma.—
Ara H. Merjian,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Symptoms in humans can surface weeks after exposure to the disease, and can include cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, insomnia and hydrophobia, the fear of water.—
Ricardo Delgado,
San Antonio Express-News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Last month, the FDA approved its use for cerebral folate deficiency, which is seen in some people with autism.—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Tapping celebrity guests like A$AP Rocky and Tame Impala for an album of silky cosmic funk, Thundercat channels the id of the geeky, emotionally maladjusted loner.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Only a geeky, witty male pal (Jon Cryer) sees her worth, until one day, quite remarkably, rich-kid McCarthy takes an interest.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The class spans 55 scholarly disciplines and artistic fields, with fellows chosen from a pool of nearly 5,000 applicants.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
-
However, these writings circulated largely within scholarly circles.—
Anna Piela,
The Conversation,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nerdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerdy. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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