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brainiac

noun
brain·​i·​ac | \ ˈbrā-nē-ˌak How to pronounce brainiac (audio) \

Definition of brainiac

: a very intelligent person
Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about brainiac

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Did You Know?

As Superman fans know, "Brainiac" was the superintelligent villain in the Action Comics series and its spin-offs. You don't need x-ray vision to see the connection here - etymologists think Superman's brainy adversary was probably the inspiration for our term "brainiac." We didn't coin the term right away though. The comic-book series was launched in 1938, and the general use of "brainiac" was first recorded in print in 1982.

Examples of brainiac in a Sentence

a techie who always has to have the latest gadget that the brainiacs in Silicon Valley have cooked up

Recent Examples on the Web

 And now one of those receivers will be Stills, a brainiac who can align anywhere and read defenses while running routes. — Andy Benoit, SI.com, "An Early Glimpse Into the Rodgers-LaFleur Marriage in Green Bay," 4 Sep. 2019 Just the title was about the highest brainiac accolade that could be conferred. — al.com, "The hard-charging space program: Breakthroughs, breakdowns and breakneck," 27 June 2019 Just the title was about the highest brainiac accolade that could be conferred. — al.com, "The hard-charging space program: Breakthroughs, breakdowns and breakneck," 27 June 2019 Just the title was about the highest brainiac accolade that could be conferred. — al.com, "The hard-charging space program: Breakthroughs, breakdowns and breakneck," 27 June 2019 Just the title was about the highest brainiac accolade that could be conferred. — al.com, "The hard-charging space program: Breakthroughs, breakdowns and breakneck," 27 June 2019 Just the title was about the highest brainiac accolade that could be conferred. — al.com, "The hard-charging space program: Breakthroughs, breakdowns and breakneck," 27 June 2019 From a baseball standpoint, the Rays are a marvel: Innovative brainiacs who despite their revenue shortfalls have put an entertaining product on the field for more than a decade while quite literally changing the way the game is played. — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Rays' Montreal play has huge ripples - and likely means end of MLB in Tampa," 20 June 2019 Just the title was about the highest brainiac accolade that could be conferred. — al.com, "The hard-charging space program: Breakthroughs, breakdowns and breakneck," 27 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brainiac.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of brainiac

1975, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for brainiac

probably from Brainiac, superintelligent villain in the Superman comic-book series

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More Definitions for brainiac

brainiac

noun
How to pronounce brainiac (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of brainiac

informal : a very intelligent person

See the full definition for brainiac in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on brainiac

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with brainiac

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for brainiac

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