The nerd face 🤓 means "smart" or "geeky", and it can also be a mocking reply to someone who sounds like a know-it-all. Which one depends on who sends it and why.
What does the nerd face emoji mean?
- Smart or geeky. The Sun says it often refers to someone being smart or knowing a lot about a topic, and wikiHow says it represents being smart. Dictionary.com says it is also used for things stereotypically associated with nerds, such as computer games, D&D, toys and comics.
- Self-deprecating humour. Emojipedia says it is often used by people calling themselves nerds in a self-deprecating way.
- An insult. Emojipedia adds that the nerdy glasses and buck teeth can, and often do, evoke mockery. Urban Dictionary defines it as a harsh insult for someone who says something lame or cringey, especially when correcting someone. The top answers on our nerd face page show this: replies to opinions such as "Morbius is a bad movie".
- A "well, actually" meme. A long Reddit thread discusses it as a meme, with people disagreeing about whether it targets nerds or the one being replied to.
What does it mean when someone replies 🤓?
- If you've just corrected someone or gone on about a detail, it is mockery: "you sound like a know-it-all".
- If you've shared something you're proud of studying, it is playful or affectionate.
- If the sender is joking about themselves, they're the nerd.
Look at the tone and who is sending it. From a crush it is often teasing.
How to respond
You can ignore it, laugh it off, or ask what they meant. If it is aimed at you and meant unkindly, you don't have to engage.
Nerd face emoji facts
- Name: nerd face
- Added: Unicode 8.0 (2015); Apple added it in iOS 9.1
- Looks like: a smiling face with large black-rimmed glasses and buck teeth. The exact design differs between platforms.
Have your own take on 🤓? Add it on the nerd face emoji page.