dork

noun

ˈdȯrk 

plural dorks

informal

: an odd, socially awkward, unstylish person

I felt like a dork in that sweater.

As the years went by, Webb found other members of his own species—a dork here, a nerd there.

—Jerry Spinelli

The kinds of kids regarded by peers as dorks, nerds and screw-ups have suffered years of rejection, based on appearances, quirks and familial conditioning.

—Ed Blank

Her younger brother … is a wispy little wimp with dorks for pals … and a big problem with the local bully.

—Kendall Hamilton

also : an annoyingly stupid or foolish person : jerk sense 1a

… her dork of a do-nothing husband …

—Stephen Schaefer

My fear of the menace represented by this young dork is offset only by the concern that if I confront him, he'll come over one night and smash our patio furniture.

—Stanley Bing

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms

• bookworm
• dink [slang]
• geek
• grind
• nerd
• swot [British]
• weenie
• wonk

Examples of dork in a Sentence

I look like a complete dork in these clothes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Quaid has gotten good at playing a fake-feminist dork: seemingly funny and well-meaning, his charm a thin veneer for a lot of seething, nerdy resentment (his work in Scream is another fine example). —David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025

But talk to people who watch a wide swath of competitive reality shows — the real hard-core gamer dorks (complimentary) — and many will tell you that Big Brother is the best, most pure version of a social-strategy game. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025

Monica invites to dinner an old friend from high school, Will, who was an even bigger dork than Ross back in the day. —Brian Boone, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024

Only dorks get excited when teams move around money for future flexibility. —Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 31 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of dick

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dork

• bork
• fork
• pork
• stork
• torque
• pitchfork

Kids Definition

dork

noun

ˈdȯrk 

informal

: jerk sense 3