Nerd vs. Geek

A person who is intellectual but generally introverted

One who has an intense, obsessive interest in something.

Example: ‘a computer nerd’; ‘a comic-book nerd’;

An unattractive, socially awkward, annoying, undesirable, and/or boring, person; a dork.

Example: ‘Only a nerd would wear yellow and blue stripes with green pants.’; ‘Nerds seem to have fun with each other, but in a way that causes others to laugh at them.’; ‘Why are you hanging out with that nerd?’;

(post-1980s) A member of a subculture revolving around video games, fantasy and science fiction, comic books and assorted media.

an insignificant student who is ridiculed as being affected or studying excessively

a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious

Example: ‘I was a serious nerd until I discovered girls and cars’;

a single-minded expert in a particular technical field

Example: ‘a computer nerd’;

A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical, abstract, or relating to topics of science fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities.

(dated) A carnival performer specializing in bizarre and unappetizing behavior.

Example: ‘I once saw a geek bite the head off a live chicken.’;

(colloquial) A person who is intensely interested in a particular field or hobby and often having limited or nonstandard social skills. Often used with an attributive noun.

Example: ‘I was a complete computer geek in high school, but I get out a lot more now.’; ‘Most famous actors are really theater geeks at heart.’;

An expert in a technical field, particularly one having to do with computers.

Example: ‘My laptop’s locked up again. I need a geek.’; ‘Do you need a hardware geek or a software geek?’;

(colloquial) The subculture of geeks; an esoteric subject of interest that is marginal to the social mainstream; the philosophy, events, and physical artifacts of geeks.

(colloquial) An unfashionable or socially undesirable person.

Example: ‘Why do you hang around with them? They’re just geeks.’;

A look.

Example: ‘Have a geek at this.’;

(colloquial) To behave geekishly or in a socially awkward manner, especially when under the influence of drugs or other psycho-active substances, and exhibiting such marked characteristics as hyperactivity, repetitiveness, talkativeness, nervousness, irritability, or paranoia.

Example: ‘Hey, check out that guy...he's really geeking out pretty bad.’;

(Cornwall) To look; to peep; to stare about intently.

A performer in a carnival, often presented as a wild man, who performs grotesquely disgusting acts, such as biting the head off a live chicken or snake.

Any eccentric or strange person; an oddball; an eccentric.

A student who is socially inept and a misfit in his class, especially one who is an intellectual; a nerd; a dork.

An intellectually inclined person, especially one who is interested in scientific or technical subjects; as, a group of geeks wearing pocket protectors; - originally a deprecatory and contemptuous term, but in the 1990's, with the increase in popularity of computers and the frequency of accumulation of great wealth by computer entrepreneurs, it has come to be used with noticeable frequency by technically competent people to refer to themselves, ironically and sometimes proudly.

a carnival performer who does disgusting acts

a person with an unusual or odd personality

The word geek is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In the past, it had a generally pejorative meaning of a .

Example: ‘peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, boring, or socially awkward’;