Meaning & use
technofile
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Meaning
nouncountableinformal
A person who is very enthusiastic about technology and enjoys using and collecting new devices.
Grammar: Countable, so you say a technofile or two technofiles; it can also be used before another noun, as in a technofile friend.
Patterns
- a technofile
- a real technofile
My uncle is a complete technofile who buys every new phone on the day it appears.
As a technofile, she reads gadget reviews before breakfast.
The office technofile set up all the new computers for us.
Word forms
| plural | technofiles |
|---|
Common combinations
- a complete technofile
- He is a complete technofile with three laptops at home.
- a self-confessed technofile
- She calls herself a self-confessed technofile.
- the office technofile
- Ask the office technofile if the printer breaks again.
- a technofile's dream
- The new smart home is a technofile's dream.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tech enthusiast
- The neutral, everyday term; safer than technofile in formal writing.
- gadget lover
- Narrower — it stresses devices rather than technology as a whole.
- geek
- Informal and can sound insulting unless the speaker includes themselves; technofile is usually mild and positive.
Opposites
Word family
- technophile noun
- A more formal word with the same meaning.
- technophobe noun
- A person who fears or avoids new technology.
- technophobia noun
- Fear or dislike of new technology.
Commonly confused: technofile or technophile? technofile or techno?
technofile vs technophile
Technophile is the standard, slightly formal form; technofile is a rare informal variant with the same meaning.
technofile vs techno
Techno is a style of electronic dance music, quite different from a person who loves gadgets.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'technofile' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Technofile' is a countable noun for a technology lover, so it fits as the subject of sentence 2. Option 1 wrongly uses it as a verb, option 3 confuses it with 'techno' (music), and option 4 uses it as an adjective, which is not standard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “technofile”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.