egghead

[ eg-hed ]

noun

, Slang: Usually Disparaging.

1. an intellectual.

egghead

/ ˈɛɡˌhɛd /

noun

1. informal.
   an intellectual; highbrow

Sensitive Note

This term is usually used with disparaging intent, implying that an intellectual is out-of-touch with ordinary people. Though first used by journalists to insult editorial writers, egghead was popularized as an epithet of Adlai Stevenson, the 1952 Democratic presidential candidate.

Word History and Origins

Origin of egghead¹

1915–20; egg ¹ + head; by analogy with someone who is bald

Example Sentences

A professor who refused to be an ivory tower egghead, Brustein didn’t simply respond to the art of his day but helped shape it.

From Los Angeles Times

So ATN brings out its sneering alt-rightist, Mark Ravenhead, to insinuate that the fire was a false flag, while Tom suggests booking an egghead historian to tell viewers that everything is fine and normal.

From New York Times

Let’s just leave our electrons to the scientific engineers, the watt-counters and the eggheads … and lock the social engineers and politicians in a cold, dark room.

From Seattle Times

Bump is a columnist for The Washington Post with a 1950s egghead vibe who writes an appealing newsletter called How to Read This Chart.

From New York Times

One recalls Adlai Stevenson, the 1952 presidential candidate who was famously derided as an “egghead.”

From Seattle Times