1
as in geeks
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
was such a nerd in college that she spent Saturday nights at the library
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intellectuals
a person with strong intellectual interests
an unlikely romance between a nerd and a campus beauty queen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nerds
By comparison, his romantic rival Archie (Devon Bostick) is a weirdo, but a more believable one, and Bostick’s banter with Ferreira has a specific kind of romantic chemistry common to hyperintelligent, socially awkward nerds.
—
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
My brother was a poet, classics scholar, and charismatic leader of nerds who blossomed into a handsome surfer and then nosedived into schizophrenia and a life of unfiltered Camel cigarettes, caffeine, and antipsychotics.
—Kim Gordon, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Mathematician Raul Rojas’s book about math symbols, published in January 2025 by Princeton University Press, offers the numeral nerds among us a guide to the fascinating history of mathematical symbols, some of which have become commonplace in everyday life.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2025
But now this metropolis of some 2 million people has more and more options for later in the day, ranging from an intimate dining counter where a local chef nerds out about indigenous ingredients to a sleek izakaya bar where the city’s scene-seeking gastronomes gather for spicy tuna hand rolls.
—Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
But that’s only the kind of backstory that film nerds need to know.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 20 Aug. 2025
But many of its two thousand-plus employees, who produce the monthly jobs report, the Consumer Price Index, and other official economic releases, are proud data nerds.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Chavious slings pies at Bike Dog’s 66th Street location most Thursdays, fueling the minds of eager trivia nerds packing the taproom.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Using proprietary information, access to Hollywood deal flow and a small but mighty team of statistics nerds, the agency aims to forecast the impact of a placement and help brands determine where to put their ad dollars.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
My brother was a poet, classics scholar, and charismatic leader of nerds who blossomed into a handsome surfer and then nosedived into schizophrenia and a life of unfiltered Camel cigarettes, caffeine, and antipsychotics.
—Kim Gordon, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Mathematician Raul Rojas’s book about math symbols, published in January 2025 by Princeton University Press, offers the numeral nerds among us a guide to the fascinating history of mathematical symbols, some of which have become commonplace in everyday life.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2025
But now this metropolis of some 2 million people has more and more options for later in the day, ranging from an intimate dining counter where a local chef nerds out about indigenous ingredients to a sleek izakaya bar where the city’s scene-seeking gastronomes gather for spicy tuna hand rolls.
—Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
But that’s only the kind of backstory that film nerds need to know.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 20 Aug. 2025
But many of its two thousand-plus employees, who produce the monthly jobs report, the Consumer Price Index, and other official economic releases, are proud data nerds.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Chavious slings pies at Bike Dog’s 66th Street location most Thursdays, fueling the minds of eager trivia nerds packing the taproom.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Using proprietary information, access to Hollywood deal flow and a small but mighty team of statistics nerds, the agency aims to forecast the impact of a placement and help brands determine where to put their ad dollars.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerds
Noun
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Some technology geeks may indeed be attracted to these features, though there are trade-offs here, and steep ones, as many normies will also find these features absolutely infuriating.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Some beer geeks refer to it as Cascadian Dark Ale, or American Black Ale.—
Brad Japhe,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The first National Conservatism conferences drew students and intellectuals who felt marginalized by the Republican Party and dreamed about taking power.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Noah Baumbach’s painfully incisive portrait of a family divorce among a remarkably prickly family of Brooklyn intellectuals finds so many ways to showcase its characters’ most brittle sides.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nerds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerds. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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