Word
dork
UK/dˈɔːk/
Definition
n. a person who is socially awkward or obsessed with things that others find boring. It is a lighthearted way to call someone a nerd, though it can be a bit mean depending on your tone.
n. a socially inept or unfashionable person, often characterized by an obsessive interest in niche or intellectual topics. Informal in register; while historically an insult, it is frequently used affectionately among friends.
Examples
“He is such a dork when he talks about his stamp collection.”
“I felt like a total dork wearing a suit to a party where everyone else was in jeans.”
“The protagonist is portrayed as a lovable dork whose encyclopedic knowledge of 1980s cinema eventually proves instrumental in solving the mystery that baffles the more socially adept characters.”
Examples
simple
“He is such a dork when he talks about his stamp collection.”
contextual
“I felt like a total dork wearing a suit to a party where everyone else was in jeans.”
complex
“The protagonist is portrayed as a lovable dork whose encyclopedic knowledge of 1980s cinema eventually proves instrumental in solving the mystery that baffles the more socially adept characters.”
Usage
Commonly used as a mild pejorative or a self-deprecating label.
Real-World Examples
“We thought, “Wow, this is a great chance to let people think we’re playboys and cool,” but in reality, we’re just a couple of dorks.” “The “Dork Diaries” are the journals of the socially aspiring, fashion-impaired Westchester Country Day School student Nikki Maxwell.” “Nikki, a fourteen-year-old girl, is often labeled as a Dork—Dork with a capital D.” “Throughout this week, Tom Brady has been characterized in various ways, from being called a "dork" (which he took as a compliment) to receiving some unflattering labels that aren’t suitable for publication.” Etymology
First use appears in the US c. 1961. The sense of a "silly person" is presumably from earlier use as a bowdlerization of dick (“penis”) in student slang, particularly the Midwest. Despite a common misconception, it has never referred specifically to a whale's penis, but penises in general. Alternative etymology derives from dialectal Norwegian dorg (“a mass; heap; a heavy, dimwitted, slovenly person”).
Uncertain; apparently from Scots. See dirk.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/dork