brainy

[ brey-nee ]

/ ˈbreɪ ni /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR brainy ON THESAURUS.COM

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

intelligent; clever; intellectual.

Nearby words

brainwash, brainwashing, brainwave, brainwork, brainworm, brainy, braird, braise, brak, brake, brake band

Origin of brainy

First recorded in 1835–45; brain + -y¹

Related forms

brain·i·ly, adverbbrain·i·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
“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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Such vigorous and brainy men do not escape the attention of the people.
The Bay State Monthly, Volume 3, No. 4|Various
They were picked for endurance, and the brainy will often crack up under a strain that the enduring kind hardly notices.
Eight Keys to Eden|Mark Irvin Clifton
He is the brainy exception of craft united to common sense, and he uses these to best advantage for his own interests.
The Fiery Totem|Argyll Saxby
He was a student, and was brainy and generous, and laughed at "able articles" even if they had stings in them.
McClure's Magazine, Volume VI, No. 3. February 1896|Various
He took an emphatic liking to the not too brainy colonel, and a new disrelish to his almost too sparkling wife.
John March, Southerner|George W. Cable

British Dictionary definitions for brainy

brainy

/ (ˈbreɪnɪ) /

adjective brainier or brainiest

informal clever; intelligent

Derived Forms

brainily, 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

brainy

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

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of brainy

Related forms

Examples from the Web for brainy

British Dictionary definitions for brainy

brainy

adjective brainier or brainiest

Derived Forms