geek

noun

ˈgēk

Synonyms of geek next

: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked

: an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity

computer geek

: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake

geekiness noun

geeky

ˈgē-kē

adjective

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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

He was a real geek in high school. was quickly stereotyped as another computer geek

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Long the domain of points geeks, the often opaque world of frequent-flier programs is finally getting easier to navigate. —

Ryan Craggs, Travel + Leisure, 26 Jan. 2025 When Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary Get Back debuted in 2021, the fact that Jackson had used artificial intelligence to clean up previously unusable audio was greeted with enthusiasm from tech geeks, and crickets from most everyone else. —

Nate Jones, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2025 Long before the internet, nerds and geeks found ways to come together through libraries, word of mouth, or the pages of their own niche publications. —

Meghan Herbst, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024 For some design geeks, however, the heart and soul of L.A.’s architecture resides not just in its museums and office towers but also in its exalted, often otherworldly houses. —

Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for geek