nerdy

American  

[nur-dee] / ˈnɜr di /

adjective

nerdier, nerdiest

1. Slang. of or like a nerd.

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Etymology

Origin of nerdy

First recorded in 1975–80; nerd + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The feisty heroine is Iris Hawkins, who, in the course of a tentative love affair with a nerdy engineer named Geoffrey Hale, discovers the pernicious designs of a secret order.

From The Wall Street Journal

I fell in with a nerdy set—a small group of academically minded boys who carried their books in briefcases.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instantly, he felt humiliated for saying that—how nerdy could he be?

From Literature

In it, he played a nerdy, unkempt co-founder who gets left behind when the business takes off.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Kimmel also hints at the wish fulfillment at the heart of the Jewish-penned superhero tales: As he observes, within their pages, “nerdy outsiders end up exhibiting enviable superpowers.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bookish
• contemplative
• diligent
• earnest
• industrious
• reflective
• thoughtful