whiz kid

¹

noun

Informal.

1. a youthful and exceptionally intelligent, successful, or influential person in a given field.

   the whiz kid of network programming.

whiz-kid

²

[hwiz-kid, wiz-]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or being a whiz kid.

   a whiz-kid sales manager.

Word History and Origins

Origin of whiz kid¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Origin of whiz kid²

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

In one scene, its whiz kid CEO grins from a billboard as “Prodigy is the future! Prodigy is forever!” repeats on a loop.

From Salon

In “Wakanda Forever,” Riri is introduced as an MIT whiz kid who catches the eyes of the Wakandans after inventing a vibranium detector.

From Los Angeles Times

He charmed Rao, a Harvard-educated whiz kid he’d met while at Goldman, to become his co-founder.

From Slate

To the end of his life, he had the aura of a nervous whiz kid with oversize glasses and frizzy hair.

From New York Times

Sapna Cheryan, a professor of psychology at the University of Washington who served a year on Mattel’s Barbie Global Advisory Council in 2018, said Asian Americans have long dealt with two stereotypes: the model-minority whiz kid or the perpetual foreigner.

From Seattle Times