dweeb

English

Etymology

From 1968 US college slang, probably related to feeb.

The 1980s backronym Dim-Witted Eastern-Educated Boor derives from apparent social and attitudinal differences between West Coast and East Coast US, and describes a stereotypical Ivy League graduate from Harvard, Yale, etc.

Etymology tree

Anglo-Norman feblebor.

Middle English feble

English feeble

English mind

English -ed

English minded

English feeble-minded

English feebinflu.

English dweeb

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dwiːb/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːb

Noun

dweeb (plural dweebs)

1. (US, dated, originally university slang, now general slang, derogatory) A boring, studious, or socially inept person. [from 1968]

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dork

   • 1994, Dexter Holland (lyrics and music), “Self Esteem”, in Smash, performed by The Offspring:

     I may be dumb, but I'm not a dweeb.

   • 1996, Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe (lyrics and music), “If U Can't Dance”, in Spice, performed by Spice Girls:

     There never is a Keanu but a dweeb looking at me.

   • 2005 June 13, Edmund White, “My Women”, in The New Yorker‎^[1]:

     No way, man, the biggest dweeb of them all with . . . Marilyn!

Usage notes

Although dweeb frequently involves some more sense of boring studiousness than dork, dweeb does not carry the connotations of actual intelligence or mastery of an (unimportant) subfield frequently intended by the similar nerd and geek.

Synonyms

• Nigel (Australia); see also Thesaurus:dork

Derived terms

• dweebery
• dweebette
• dweebish
• dweeblet
• dweebling
• dweebness
• dweeby
• tweeb

 

Anagrams

• bedew, bewed