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Of Nerds, Geeks, and Dorks
This trio of words historically refers to the uncool among us. Dork, when used to refer to a socially awkward or inept person, is a relatively recent word: our records indicate that it first appeared in writing in the 1960s. Two of its synonyms in this sense are likewise of fairly recent vintage. Nerd (typically used of a studious species of dork) dates from the 1950s; it may have been coined by Dr. Seuss in his 1950 book If I Ran the Zoo, although not in the sense that we use today. Nerd is now often used in a neutral fashion to denote enthusiasm or expertise (theater nerd) or proudly as a self-identifying trait (word nerd). Geek became synonymous with nerd in the 1950s and has similarly seen increasing use with positive connotations, highlighting membership in a specialized group (film geek, beer geek) rather than social awkwardness. In its earliest meanings, geek referred to, among other things, a carnival performer who would bite the head off a live chicken, or other small animal, as part of an act.
Examples of geek in a Sentence
Ew Staff, EW.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Flamboyant theater geek Ezra (Matthew Finlan) makes his shrieks sound especially dramatic.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Apr. 2025
Tapping into the geek chic aesthetic, the star completed the look with a pair of black trousers held up by red, white and blue suspenders supported by her shoulders.
—Starr Bowenbank, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Flamboyant theater geek Ezra (Matthew Finlan) makes his shrieks sound especially dramatic.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for geek
Cite this Entry
“Geek.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geek. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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