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nerd

[ nurd ]

/ nɜrd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR nerd ON THESAURUS.COM

WATCH NOW: What Is The Difference Between "Geek" And "Nerd"?

WATCH NOW: What Is The Difference Between "Geek" And "Nerd"?

These two words have a lot more in common than you might think, from their original meanings to the way they've changed over time.

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noun Slang.

a person considered to be socially awkward, boring, unstylish, etc.

an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit: a computer nerd.

Words nearby nerd

neptunium, neptunium series, ner tamid, neral, nerc, nerd, nerdic, nerdy, nereid, nereis, nereus

Sometimes nurd.

Origin of nerd

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55; obscurely derived expressive formation

historical usage of nerd

See geek.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for nerd

Nerd Cruise By Adam Rogers, Wired What 800 Nerds on a Cruise Ship Taught Me About Life, the Universe, and Snorkeling.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Dec 22-28, 2014|William Boot|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In one of the most distressing events of the year, nerd entitlement hit 100.
10 Things That Made Us Want to Turn Off the Internet Forever in 2014|The Daily Beast|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was one of the only female characters I could think of that was different and weird without being the nerd.
'Boy Meets World' Star Danielle Fishel Is OK with Being Topanga Forever|Kevin Fallon|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like so many others in the nerd world, I fell in love with Cards Against Humanity through its Kickstarter preview in 2011.
The Case Against Cards Against Humanity: Is Max Temkin a Horrible Person? (Does It Matter?)|Arthur Chu|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One of the hottest tickets at the 2014 edition of Comic-Con, the annual nerd mecca in San Diego, was the Marvel presentation.
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Unmasked: Robert Downey Jr. and Co. Speak at Comic-Con|Annaliza Savage|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was gaunt and tall and geeky and talked like an engineer, with the nerd accent.
Makers|Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for nerd

nerd

nurd

/ (nɜːd) /

noun slang

a boring or unpopular person, esp one obsessed with something specifieda computer nerd

a stupid and feeble person

Derived forms of nerd

nerdish or nurdish, adjectivenerdy or nurdy, adjective

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

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