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.
Examples of geek in a Sentence
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
The 135-room hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is definitely for the AV geeks.
—Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2025
This geek will make one bit of idle speculation here: That grassland planet that’s shown here?
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 16 Mar. 2025
Negative stereotypes permeate the space and, while everyone knows that IT professionals are more than nerdy, introverted geeks unable to connect with others, statistics clearly indicate that communication is a concern.
—Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 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 31 Mar. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share