Meaning & use
dweeb
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Meaning
nouncountable
A mildly insulting word for someone seen as awkward, overly studious or out of touch with trends.
Grammar: Countable: he is a dweeb; more teasing than hurtful among friends.
Patterns
- act like a dweeb
- a total dweeb
He joked that he was a dweeb because he loved reading maps.
The classmates teased the new boy and called him a dweeb.
She laughed at herself, saying she felt like a dweeb in her oversized glasses.
Word forms
| plural | dweebs |
|---|
Common combinations
- a total dweeb
- I felt like a total dweeb in my school uniform.
- a lovable dweeb
- The hero of the sitcom is a lovable dweeb.
- call someone a dweeb
- Kids shouldn't call each other dweebs in the hallway.
- look like a dweeb
- I looked like a dweeb in the photo.
- a computer dweeb
- He proudly called himself a computer dweeb.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nerd
- Nerd is now often a proud label for an enthusiast, while dweeb stays more purely teasing.
- geek
- Geek suggests deep enthusiasm for a hobby, whereas dweeb suggests awkwardness.
- square
- Square is an old-fashioned word for someone dull and conventional, not necessarily studious.
Opposites
Word family
- dweebish adjective
- like a dweeb
- dweebishness noun
- the quality of being dweebish
- dweebily adverb
- in a dweeby manner (rare)
Commonly confused: dweeb or dork?
dweeb vs dork
Dork is a similar slang insult, but it focuses more on silliness than on being studious.
Practice
A friend says, 'I know I'm a bit of a dweeb.' What do they mean?
Choose one answer.
Dweeb is mild teasing slang for an awkward, uncool person. It does not describe wealth, anger or athletics.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dweeb”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.