egghead

American  

[eg-hed] / ˈɛgˌhɛd /

noun

Slang: Usually Disparaging.

1. an intellectual.

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egghead British  

/ ˈɛɡˌhɛd /

noun

1. informal an intellectual; highbrow

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Sensitive Note

This term is usually used with disparaging intent, implying that an intellectual is out-of-touch with ordinary people. Though first used by journalists to insult editorial writers, egghead was popularized as an epithet of Adlai Stevenson, the 1952 Democratic presidential candidate.

Etymology

Origin of egghead

1915–20; egg ¹ + head; by analogy with someone who is bald

Example Sentences

And finally, they’ll be able to answer a question that Ivy League eggheads have been pondering for a century.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, she says it soon transpired "they weren't quite the eggheads we thought they were".

From BBC

Which is a reminder even to the eggheads that no one has ever won the Ryder Cup on a spreadsheet.

From The Wall Street Journal

Last, it essentially represents a bunch of elite eggheads saying “trust us, we’re different now” when no one trusts them.

From Los Angeles Times

“We had some real eggheads, and famously, they don’t watch comedy. Then you trample all over their favorite topic” and things can get tense, she says.

From Los Angeles Times