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
Relevance
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
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.
Recent Examples of nerds
But among whiskey nerds, Bushmills is best known for its single malts.
—
David Thomas Tao, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Fair to say that the Ichiban has already accomplished its primary objective of getting moto nerds to drool over it on their phone screens – even though there is little likelihood that it will be built as it is envisioned.
—New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2025
But that is also why many golf nerds hate it.
—Brody Miller, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Even comedy nerds may not realize how much of America's entertainment landscape Michaels now influences.
—Eric Deggans, NPR, 13 Feb. 2025
This tournament could be heaven for hockey nerds who have been starved for best-on-best at this level.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2025
Curitiba is a tidy, charming place known by transportation nerds for its pioneering bus system (passengers enter futuristic black tubes before getting on buses that speed along in dedicated lanes).
—Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Using data is not just reserved for ‘nerds who think football is played on spreadsheets’ — it is increasingly used by the managers themselves.
—Mark Carey, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
Individually, stat nerds will note that Nikola Jokić is once again taking aim at the Player Efficiency Rating record.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
David Thomas Tao, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Fair to say that the Ichiban has already accomplished its primary objective of getting moto nerds to drool over it on their phone screens – even though there is little likelihood that it will be built as it is envisioned.
—New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2025
But that is also why many golf nerds hate it.
—Brody Miller, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Even comedy nerds may not realize how much of America's entertainment landscape Michaels now influences.
—Eric Deggans, NPR, 13 Feb. 2025
This tournament could be heaven for hockey nerds who have been starved for best-on-best at this level.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2025
Curitiba is a tidy, charming place known by transportation nerds for its pioneering bus system (passengers enter futuristic black tubes before getting on buses that speed along in dedicated lanes).
—Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Using data is not just reserved for ‘nerds who think football is played on spreadsheets’ — it is increasingly used by the managers themselves.
—Mark Carey, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
Individually, stat nerds will note that Nikola Jokić is once again taking aim at the Player Efficiency Rating record.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nerds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerds. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share