as in genius
a very smart person
a techie who always has to have the latest gadget that the brainiacs in Silicon Valley have cooked up
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Recent Examples of brainiac
There’s something rare about Swain, who is a young brainiac, but one who has built his business the old-fashioned, pre-quant-trading and Excel models Wall Street way, via charm offensives that weave webs of tight relationships few rivals can match.
—
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
There’s no way of knowing who’s the brainiac in the Swift brood, but one Norwegian study showed the oldest child has an IQ that averages three points higher than that of the second oldest, while the second child, in turn, is one point smarter than the third.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
In addition to the Ivy League brainiacs, Chen employs an army of a million-plus gig workers from more than 50 countries around the world who help come up with questions that might stump AI, evaluating the models’ responses and writing criteria that help AI generate a perfect response.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Both are wicked smart brainiacs on a tireless quest to do good in the world.
—Natasha Stoynoff, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brainiac
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
There’s no way of knowing who’s the brainiac in the Swift brood, but one Norwegian study showed the oldest child has an IQ that averages three points higher than that of the second oldest, while the second child, in turn, is one point smarter than the third.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
In addition to the Ivy League brainiacs, Chen employs an army of a million-plus gig workers from more than 50 countries around the world who help come up with questions that might stump AI, evaluating the models’ responses and writing criteria that help AI generate a perfect response.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Both are wicked smart brainiacs on a tireless quest to do good in the world.
—Natasha Stoynoff, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brainiac
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainiac
Noun
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My high school basketball coach was, depending on the day, either a motivational genius or a certified madman.—
Mark Glende,
Twin Cities,
27 Mar. 2026
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If Hafley can get all three to meet or exceed their draft-day expectations, the rebuild zooms way ahead of the curve, and Hafley and his staff look like coaching geniuses.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This one just happens to involve wizards, goblins, and one savage, half-blind dragon.—
Séamas O'Reilly,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
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Potterheads across the globe will instantly recognize Harry’s not-so-homely house on Privet Drive, his cramped excuse of a bedroom and the endless disdain oozing from the young wizard’s unloving aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On the surface, at least, all of that would seem to make Karaban entirely ill-suited for Hurley – the orderly, math nerd introvert versus the whirling dervish extrovert.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2026
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Which, basically, is a GEEK, or NERD, or BLERD (a Black nerd), or FANBOY, or FANGIRL, none of which are used here in any derogatory way, and are generally interchangeable.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The book portrays an authoritarian near-future Russia where most entertainment and all news comes through Cameras, people wired to transmit their experiences directly from their brains to the internet.—
Stephanie Burt,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
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While Heinrich ponders the misfiring neurons in the brain of a mass shooter, Jack’s pursuit of Mink—a character whose skin color and ambiguous ethnicity Jack remarks on repeatedly—leads him directly into the urban teeth of the War on Drugs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brainiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainiac. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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