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• whiz kid
  whiz kid

  noun

  a youthful and exceptionally intelligent, successful, or influential person in a given field.
• whiz-kid
  whiz-kid

  adjective

  of, relating to, or being a whiz kid.

whiz kid

¹ American  

noun

Informal.

1. a youthful and exceptionally intelligent, successful, or influential person in a given field.

   the whiz kid of network programming.

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whiz-kid ² American  

[hwiz-kid, wiz-] / ˈʰwɪzˌkɪd, ˈwɪz- /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or being a whiz kid.

   a whiz-kid sales manager.

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Etymology

Origin of whiz kid¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Origin of whiz-kid²

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Vincent was a first-generation Indian immigrant and dot-com whiz kid.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026

I’m not a financial whiz kid, but investors are trying to bring the price down so they can buy as much as possible, trying to scare the weaker hands.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 19, 2025

In one scene, its whiz kid CEO grins from a billboard as “Prodigy is the future! Prodigy is forever!” repeats on a loop.

From Salon • Aug. 31, 2025

To the end of his life, he had the aura of a nervous whiz kid with oversize glasses and frizzy hair.

From New York Times • May 5, 2024

That was the first prize—and it was won by some young chap who’s apparently a bit of a whiz kid when it comes to computers.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz