Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
| acca | (Aust. sl.) an academic. |
| aleck | an irritatingly smart person. |
| artsiness | the state of being ARTSY. |
| artiness | the state of being ARTY. |
| artsy | affectedly artistic > ARTSIER, ARTSIEST; (noun) an artsy person > ARTSIES. |
| arty | affectedly artistic > ARTIER, ARTIEST; (noun) an artsy person > ARTIES. |
| bluestocking | an educated or literary female. |
| boffin | an expert in science or technology. |
| boffiny | like a boffin > BOFFINIER, BOFFINIEST. |
| bookworm | a person who is devoted to reading. |
| brainbox | a clever person. |
| brainiac | a highly intelligent person. |
| chatterati | the chattering classes. |
| cleverdick | an annoyingly clever person. |
| conoscente cognoscente | a person who has expert knowledge in a subject > CONOSCENTI, COGNOSCENTI. |
| dabbler | one who dabbles, a DILETTANTE. |
| digerati | persons skilled in the use of computers. |
| dilettante | a dabbler or lover of fine arts > DILETTANTI or DILETTANTES. |
| egghead | an intellectual. |
| eggheaded | intellectual. |
| eggheadedness | the state of being EGGHEADED. |
| eggmass | intellectuals as a group. |
| einstein | a very intelligent person. |
| epigon epigone | an inferior imitator of a creative thinker or artist. |
| epigonic | of or like an EPIGON, an inferior imitator of a creative thinker or artist. |
| epigonus | an EPIGON > EPIGONI. |
| glitterati | the society lions of the day. |
| highbrow | a person who has superior tastes. |
| highbrowism | the state of being a highbrow. |
| intellectual | a person of superior intellect or enlightenment (often used to suggest doubt as to common sense or practical skills). |
| literatus | a learned man, one acquainted with letters > LITERATI. |
| literato | a learned man, one acquainted with letters > LITERATI. |
| literator | a dabbler in learning. |
| literose | affectedly or spuriously literary. |
| literosity | the state of being LITEROSE. |
| litterateur | one who is devoted to the study or writing of literature. |
| longhair | a HIGHBROW. |
| luvvie luvvy | an actor or other member of the entertainment industry, esp when regarded as overly pretentious or affected. |
| mastermind | a mind, or a person having a mind, of very great ability; (verb) to originate, think out, and direct. |
| maven | an expert. |
| philistia | the class or world of cultured Philistines: PHILISTIAS. |
| philosophaster | an amateur or superficial philosopher. |
| phrasemaker phrasemonger phraseman | a maker of wordy or fine-sounding phrases. |
| polymath | a person of encyclopedic learning. |
| poserish | given to posing, affected. |
| poseur | one who poses, an affected person. |
| posy | given to posing > POSIER, POSIEST. |
| precieux | a man affecting a fastidious over-refinement. |
| pandit pundit | a learned person, an expert; orig. a Hindu learned in Sanskrit. |
| quipper quipster | a person given to making clever remarks. |
| sapient | (noun) a wise person > SAPIENTS. |
| sciolist | a superficial pretender to knowledge. |
| smartarse smartass | a showily clever person. |
| smartarsed | offensively clever. |
| smartass | see SMARTARSE. |
| smartie smarty | a clever person. |
| smartmouth | a clever or sarcastic person. |
| smartypants | an overly clever person. N.B. no SMARTYPANT*. |
| spod | an over-studious person. |
| spoddy | like a SPOD > SPODDIER, SPODDIEST. |
| superbrain | an extraordinary intelligence. |
| superbright | very bright. |
| supermind | a more than human intelligence. |
| supersmart | very smart. |
| swot | an excessively studious person; (verb) to study hard. |
| swotter | one who swots. |
| swotty | given to swotting > SWOTTIER, SWOTTIEST. |
| weisenheimer wisenheimer | a smart aleck. [From wise + -enheimer (on the pattern of names such as Guggenheimer or Oppenheimer)]. |
| wiseacre | someone who unduly assumes air of superior wisdom. |
| wiseass | a WISEACRE. |
| wiseguy | a person who wants to seem clever. |
| wiseling | one who pretends to be wise. |
| wisenheimer | see WEISENHEIMER. |
| wiz whizz | one who is very good at something. |
| witling | a pretender to wit. |
| wonk | an expert who studies a subject or issue thoroughly and excessively. |
| wonkery | the state of being a WONK. |
| wonkish | like a WONK. |
| wordmonger | a writer or speaker who uses language pretentiously or carelessly. |
| wunderkind | a child prodigy > WUNDERKINDER or WUNDERKINDS. |