nerd

The word “nerd” means someone who is highly intelligent or studious but socially awkward or introverted. In plain terms, someone deeply into intellectual or niche interests — once an insult, now often worn with pride.

“Nerd” is pronounced nurd (/nɝːd/ in IPA).

Here is “nerd” used in a sentence: “He was the classic nerd in school, always buried in a book.”

“Nerd” is a noun.

The word “nerd” dates back to around 1951. Origin uncertain — first recorded in 1951 as US student slang. The word appeared a year earlier in Dr. Seuss's If I Ran the Zoo as the name of a fictional creature, which may have helped popularize it.

“Nerd” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Nerd” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: someone who is highly intelligent or studious but socially awkward or introverted.

The two words overlap heavily, but nerd traditionally emphasizes high intelligence or studiousness combined with social awkwardness, while geek often emphasizes intense enthusiasm for a specific subject or hobby. In casual modern usage, however, many people use the two terms interchangeably.

It depends on tone and context. Nerd was once used mainly as a mild insult for someone socially awkward, but it is now frequently used affectionately or even as a badge of pride among people who are passionate about a subject.

Nerd can apply to obsessive passion for almost any subject, not just science or technology. People describe themselves as a "movie nerd," a "history nerd," or a "grammar nerd" to mean they have deep, enthusiastic knowledge in that particular area.