nerd

[nurd] /nɜrd/
noun, Slang.
1.
a stupid, irritating, ineffectual, or unattractive person.
2.
an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit:
a computer nerd.
Also, nurd.
Origin
1960-65, Americanism; obscurely derived expressive formation
Examples from the web for nerd
  • They are the refuge and the delight of every geek, nerd, lab and library rat.
  • It doesn't even have anything to do with whether you're a bookworm or a nerd or a geek.
  • He likes to call himself “one tough nerd”.
  • It was probably the most pivotal day of my life—saved me from being a terminal nerd.
  • Everyone has an inner nerd.
  • But a lot of athletes may be harboring an inner nerd.
  • Embracing your inner nerd (or geek) has always been a struggle in life.
  • Like all of us, I was a nerd in college and worked ridiculously hard, but this group of students makes me look like a slouch.
  • My personality changed a lot from a boring nerd to an energetic, funny and athletic kid.
  • It was so cool to a nerd such as myself.
British Dictionary definitions for nerd

nerd

/nɜːd/
noun (slang)
1.
a boring or unpopular person, esp one obsessed with something specified: a computer nerd
2.
a stupid and feeble person
Derived Forms
nerdish, nurdish, adjective
nerdy, nurdy, adjective
Contemporary definitions for nerd
noun

See gearhead

Word Origin and History for nerd
n.

1951, U.S. student slang, probably an alteration of 1940s slang nert "stupid or crazy person," itself an alteration of nut. The word turns up in a Dr. Seuss book from 1950 ("If I Ran the Zoo"), which may have contributed to its rise.

Slang definitions & phrases for nerd

nerd

modifier

: Norton represents a new type of American rich person: the nerd tycoon/ a mix between journalism and nerd heaven, with its sophisticated desktop equipment and absence of paper

noun
  1. (also nerdboy or nurd) A tedious, contemptible person; dork, dweeb, jerk: In Detroit, someone who once would be called a drip or a square is now, regrettably a nerd, or in a less severe case, a scurve/ What about a total dweeb? Yup. Geek? Yup. Nerdboy? Yup. (1951+ Teenagers)
  2. An over-studious person, esp a computer devotee, usually pictured with horn-rimmed spectacles and often buck teeth: She's definitely a word nerd •In some uses nearly synonymous with ''hacker'' (1980s+ Students)

[probably fr the 1950 children's book If I Ran the Zoo, by ''Dr. Seuss,'' where a nerd is one of the desired animals]