1
as in geek
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
was such a nerd in college that she spent Saturday nights at the library
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intellectual
a person with strong intellectual interests
an unlikely romance between a nerd and a campus beauty queen
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nerd
The last one off the boat is the nerd.
—
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026
Good-looking nerds with glamorous jobs, but still nerds.
—Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
The award for cinematic and box office achievement went to Sinners, so Göransson was able to take the stage on the telecast (as a key member of the creative team of Ryan Coogler’s film), though only music nerds would have been able to ID him.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 12 Jan. 2026
Joyce nerds will recall Leopold Bloom’s visit to Sweny’s in the Lotos-Eaters episode quite early in Ulysses.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nerd
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026
Good-looking nerds with glamorous jobs, but still nerds.
—Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
The award for cinematic and box office achievement went to Sinners, so Göransson was able to take the stage on the telecast (as a key member of the creative team of Ryan Coogler’s film), though only music nerds would have been able to ID him.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 12 Jan. 2026
Joyce nerds will recall Leopold Bloom’s visit to Sweny’s in the Lotos-Eaters episode quite early in Ulysses.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nerd
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerd
Noun
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For airline geeks and loyal fans of the Emirates brand, the livery was probably the highlight announcement coming from Dubai this week.—
Paula Conway,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Featuring even more eye-popping visuals than its predecessor, Across the Spider-Verse is an animation geek's dream.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the aftermath of the 2016 election, a small group of conservative intellectuals tried to reconcile their ideological movement with the man who now, improbably, sat atop it.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
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Scientists were among the intellectuals and researchers who were killed and imprisoned and purged.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nerd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerd. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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