geek

noun

ˈgēk

Synonyms of geek next

: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked

: an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity

computer geek

: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake

geekiness noun

geeky

ˈgē-kē

adjective

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Of Nerds, Geeks, and Dorks

Dork, when used to refer to a socially awkward or inept person, is a relatively recent word: our records indicate that it first appeared in writing in the 1960s. Two of its synonyms in this sense are likewise of fairly recent vintage. Nerd (typically used of a studious species of dork) dates from the 1950s; it was coined by Dr. Seuss in his 1950 book If I Ran the Zoo, although not in the sense that we use today. The usage of nerd is now often used in a neutral fashion to denote enthusiasm or expertise (theater nerd) or proudly as a self-identifying trait (word nerd). Geek became synonymous with nerd in the 1950s and has similarly seen increasing use with positive connotations, showing membership in a specialized group (film geek, beer geek) rather than social awkwardness. In its earliest meanings, geek referred to, among other things, a carnival performer who would bite the head off a live chicken, or other small animal, as part of an act.

Examples of geek in a Sentence

He was a real geek in high school. was quickly stereotyped as another computer geek

Recent Examples on the Web That’s a 7-to-8-point potential swing in good surveys, so if things are this close, realize that the game isn’t played on your computer screen looking at polling aggregator sites or reading data geeks’ interpretations of the crosstabs. —

Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 3 Sep. 2024 As noted in Part One of this article series, the Automated Road Transportation Symposium (ARTS) is a unique assembly of tech geeks, social scientists, government regulators, and the occasional skeptic. —

Richard Bishop, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024 From the 1910s through the 1940s, the maharajas were an obsessively acquisitive clan of car geeks, ordering Bentleys and Rollses by the boatload for their private caches. —

Christopher Bagley, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2024 Now onto one of my favorite wine regions in the world that no one really talks about except wine geeks like me. —

Johnny Noakes, Hartford Courant, 14 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for geek

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'geek.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.