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
Jothan seemed agreeably nerdy—less astro-jazzman than small-town postal clerk—but his attempt at reassurance backfired.
—
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Stanwyck proves herself the sexiest of the classic stars, melting the heart of Cooper, whose nerdy demeanor hides his dashingness.
—New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
In the iconic teen movie, Rachael Leigh Cook plays a nerdy girl who, in one scene, undergoes a makeover and rocks a red spaghetti strap minidress with a brown bob.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 6 Feb. 2026
Nothing in the tiny, nerdy world of trivia confers more authority than winning the World Quizzing Championships.
—Drew Goins, The Atlantic, 2 Feb. 2026
Cookie Fleck and her nerdy husband, Gerry (Levy), are the underdogs of the lot.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Some of them look nerdy, some do not.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
Inevitably, in a film where no wheel really goes unreinvented, the earnestly nerdy Daniel, who collects fantasy action figures and even puts them on his desk, falls under their spell.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
And in November, the company rolled out different personalities allowing users to choose from professional, friendly, candid, quirky, efficient, cynical and nerdy versions.
—Arianna Huffington, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Stanwyck proves herself the sexiest of the classic stars, melting the heart of Cooper, whose nerdy demeanor hides his dashingness.
—New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
In the iconic teen movie, Rachael Leigh Cook plays a nerdy girl who, in one scene, undergoes a makeover and rocks a red spaghetti strap minidress with a brown bob.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 6 Feb. 2026
Nothing in the tiny, nerdy world of trivia confers more authority than winning the World Quizzing Championships.
—Drew Goins, The Atlantic, 2 Feb. 2026
Cookie Fleck and her nerdy husband, Gerry (Levy), are the underdogs of the lot.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Some of them look nerdy, some do not.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
Inevitably, in a film where no wheel really goes unreinvented, the earnestly nerdy Daniel, who collects fantasy action figures and even puts them on his desk, falls under their spell.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
And in November, the company rolled out different personalities allowing users to choose from professional, friendly, candid, quirky, efficient, cynical and nerdy versions.
—Arianna Huffington, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerdy
Adjective
-
And at that point, ushered into the floating mists of non-consensus with murmurings of political unease regarding content or intellectual befuddlement regarding style, the briefly sighted, singular beast of language vanishes from the visible landscape.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Only the party of such intellectual giants as Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar and Eric Swalwell could conclude this is a logical course of action.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The heady sensuality of Aїnouz’s best films (Invisible Life, Madame Satã) is somewhat smothered by the cold cerebral mischief of Filippou’s writing.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
-
That’s a big change for the cerebral right-hander, who’ll be counted on to return from injuries and provide stability to a rebuilt rotation coming off the worst season in major league history.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
With a sharp feel for political arithmetic and a slightly geeky approach to strategy, Hill-Lewis has cultivated constructive relationships with key figures in the ANC leadership, helped along by a personable, pragmatic style that plays well across party lines.—
Sam Mkokeli,
semafor.com,
4 Feb. 2026
-
My spreadsheet used standard deviation, a geeky measurement, to learn that California’s confidence index is 53% more volatile than the national benchmark.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Internal decision-making can become polarized, funding relationships strained, and exhibitions evaluated through ideological lenses rather than scholarly merit.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The fact that Katherine had been institutionalized may have tainted her scholarly reputation.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nerdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerdy. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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