brainy

[brey-nee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR brainy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, brain·i·er, brain·i·est. Informal.

intelligent; clever; intellectual.

Origin of brainy

First recorded in 1835–45; brain + -y¹

Related formsbrain·i·ly, adverbbrain·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for brainy

brilliant, bright, clever, intellectual, sapient, smart

Examples from the Web for brainy

Contemporary Examples of brainy

After still one more failed engagement, Day married Esther Milnes, a brainy heiress who was utterly enchanted with his ideas.
The Man Who Tried to Raise a Wife
Mythili Rao
April 19, 2013
They posted sensationalistic stories online, with headlines like “Brainy Ex-Model Suing Google.”
Busting a Cyberstalker: How Carla Franklin Fought Back—and Triumphed
Abigail Pesta
October 12, 2012
This will rightfully be marketed as a thriller, but it belongs among the brainy examples of the genre, like those by Robert Stone.
This Week’s Hot Reads: May 23, 2012
Nicholas Mancusi, Malcolm Jones, Lucas Wittmann
May 23, 2012
“I was the Hermione,” she said, referring to the brainy Harry Potter character.
John Friend Anusara Scandal: Inside the Wiccan ‘Sex’ Coven
Lizzie Crocker
April 16, 2012
Beautiful, brainy, and bossy—on the surface, Gu Kailai was a new breed of Politburo wife.
China’s Jackie Kennedy: Gu Kailai and the Bo Xilai’s Scandal
Melinda Liu
April 12, 2012

Historical Examples of brainy

We're a brainy lot of lads, and I'm the brainiest of the lot!
Changing Winds
St. John G. Ervine
“Try and find me brainy,” he whispered to her, as soon as Flossie was out of earshot.
All Roads Lead to Calvary
Jerome K. Jerome
She'll think it so brainy of me and be so glad I'm interested in the subject.
The Jolliest School of All
Angela Brazil
Why is it that the brainy girl invariably has straight hair?
Tea-Table Talk
Jerome K. Jerome
It was a brainy speech, straight from the shoulder, and it got to everybody in that crowd.
Flappers and Philosophers
F. Scott Fitzgerald

British Dictionary definitions for brainy

brainy

adjective brainier or brainiest

informal clever; intelligent

Derived Formsbrainily, adverbbraininess, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for brainy

adj.

1845, from brain (n.) + -y (2). Latin equivalent cerebrosus meant "passionate, hot-headed," leading Tucker to remark that " 'Brainy' is not a natural expression for 'frantic.' "