brainiac
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of brainiac
From Brainiac, a superintelligent, villainous alien in the Superman comics, probably brain + (man)iac
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Who knows what might have happened if an ordinary pol like Harding, rather than the zealous brainiac Hoover, had been president in 1929.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Living up to his reputation as Cahiers’ brainiac bad boy, he pockets the office’s petty cash to road-trip to the Cannes premiere of Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025
Over countless tweets, interviews and TV appearances, he’s positioned himself as a mad-scientist-cum-diplomat — a straight-talking brainiac willing to embrace regulation of his nascent industry and criticize its worst excesses.
From New York Times ● May 14, 2022
“The Big Bang Theory” star and real-life brainiac Mayim Bialik also got lots of positive reviews, as did former “Jeopardy!” champion Buzzy Cohen.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2021
Jason finally gets along with Annabeth, and her brainiac tendencies start rubbing off on him.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
