Geek vs nerd, what to call your “special” friend?

30.10.2018 2,131 15

Martin Pramatarov

The terms “geek” and “nerd” are very commonly used in the popular culture. People identifying as such are practically everywhere and more openly accept their tag. Would you like to know the difference? Follow this article and see what the two words really mean.

Nerd

Do you remember that person at school, who was super smart, getting the best grades, and never going out? That is a nerd! They are highly intelligent, but also very socially awkward beings. The term “nerd” got published for the first time in “If I ran the zoo” by Dr. Seuss in 1951. Back then, a nerd was considered to be a crazy person. This definition has changed quite a lot to being “crazy” about a specific academic filed. How to recognize modern nerds?

They wear casual clothes and don’t really care about their appearance. You won’t see them walking around in cliques. They are usually loners, or in the best case they move in small groups. They often choose to be scientists or programmers.

Geek

Geeks can easily be mistaken for nerds. They can even be nerds and geeks at the same time. Geeks are incredibly obsessed by a certain topic – movies, superheroes, technology, etc.

The word “geek” dates back to 18th century when in Europe it meant an actual freak. It was used for circus actors who performed the strangest acts. The modern geeks are far less bizarre. They are more social than the nerds.
They can openly show their affection for a topic by wearing a special t-shirt or by going to a Comic Con. They collect a lot of merchandise related to their passion. There are many geek categories – tech geeks, talking about the newest gadgets all the time, or sport geeks who love their team, etc. There are many options.
It is often that they are designers or earn a living in another creative field.

So, should you laugh at them? Not really. They might have a weird passion, but there is nothing shameful about that. Both words are not offensive anymore. If you still can’t help it but bother some pure soul, at least try a new word – dork! It might be more effective!