brainiac en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /ˈbɹeɪniæk/
Etymology
Blend of brain + maniac, with influence from ENIAC, the name of an early computer. The term was coined as the name of the fictional supervillain Brainiac in the Superman series and first appeared in Action Comics comic book #242 in July, 1958. By surface analysis, brainy + -ac.
Meanings
-
(derogatory, slang, sometimes) A very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person.
With all the brainiacs in the world ... you'd think somebody would come up with a sunblock for ice cream.
2009 July 18, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):With nearly 900,000 Twitter followers, Popova is a member of a rare pantheon of “influencers” for the brainiac crowd. Miraculously, she makes a living writing a blog about science, literature, philosophy, feminism and whatever else takes her voracious and generous fancy.
2019 February 8, Margaret Wertheim, “Minds that explore the beauty of math and the logic of art”, in Washington Post, →ISSN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| brainiacs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
dumbo · dufus · idiot · dumb-ass · ignoramus
Synonyms
wiseguy · genius · pedant · smart-ass
Translations (11)
de Intelligenzbestie (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person) · fr grosse tête (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person) · hy մոզգ (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person) · es cerebrín (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person) · it cervellone (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person) · es lumbrera (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person) · es luminaria (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person) · pl mózgowiec (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person) · es cerebrito (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person) · fi nero (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person) · es pitagorín (a very intelligent and usually studious, erudite person)