whiz kid

¹ American  

noun

Informal.

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

   the whiz kid of network programming.

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whiz-kid ² American  

[hwiz-kid, wiz-] / ˈʰwɪzˌkɪd, ˈwɪz- /

adjective

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

   a whiz-kid sales manager.

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Etymology

Origin of whiz kid¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Origin of whiz-kid²

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Vincent was a first-generation Indian immigrant and dot-com whiz kid.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026

I’m not a financial whiz kid, but investors are trying to bring the price down so they can buy as much as possible, trying to scare the weaker hands.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 19, 2025

That morning, James Watson, the American whiz kid who had not yet turned 25, and his British colleague, Francis Crick, had finally worked out the structure of DNA.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025

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 • Aug. 31, 2025

That was the first prize—and it was won by some young chap who’s apparently a bit of a whiz kid when it comes to computers.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz