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
The deceptively low-key humor of Demetri Martin was once labeled nerdy or alternative, given his smart one-liners, on-stage drawings and overall subtly.
—
John Wenzel, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
The question feels like the lead up to a nerdy joke.
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
Hailing from studio 20th Television Animation, the show centers on three nerdy misfit high school freshmen who are recruited for an elite secret spy school.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 2 Mar. 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
John Wenzel, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
The question feels like the lead up to a nerdy joke.
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
Hailing from studio 20th Television Animation, the show centers on three nerdy misfit high school freshmen who are recruited for an elite secret spy school.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 2 Mar. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerdy
Adjective
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But the cinematic room is so great for making sure that these intellectual ideas become visceral.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Radić, who is 60 and the second Chilean architect to win the award, has designed dozens of buildings that have earned him a formidable reputation in artistic and intellectual circles.—
Neda Ulaby,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Quiet reflection gains power as cerebral Mercury in your 12th House of Solitude trines jovial Jupiter in your comforting 4th house, guiding you through releasing past aches.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
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The cerebral left-hander started 2025 outside the top 100, one more gifted teen pushing through the crowded gateway of the men’s tour.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 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
-
Leslie Hairston, a former City Council colleague of Preckwinkle’s whose South Side ward abutted hers, said Preckwinkle’s scholarly disposition shouldn’t be mistaken for indifference.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
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Specifically, the study found the PATM patients emitted more petrochemicals, organosulfur compounds, and some aldehydes (including 39 times the normal amount of toluene, a chemical found in crude oil), among other distinctions—findings published in the scholarly journal Scientific Reports in 2023.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nerdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerdy. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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