Swedes petition to alter dictionary definition of ‘nerd’

10 or 15 years ago, when the world of comic books and video games was relegated to a small fraction of the population, being labeled a “nerd” was a social stigma like no other. These days, though, it is almost regarded as a compliment. Nerds are now considered smart and destined for greatness in a job market that prizes technological prowess.

As a result, is an outdated definition of the word “nerd” (that’s “n rd” in Swedish) really appropriate these days? At least one group of Swedish nerds doesn’t think so. Thousands of Swedes have signed a petition to alter the definition of the word in the Svenska Akademiens Ordlista (SAOL), the official dictionary of the Swedish Academy.

Currently it defines the word as a “simple-minded laughable person.” By all accounts, that is simply not what the word is used to describe in the 2010s. Ludwig Jonsson was the man who started the petition, telling a local newspaper that being a nerd is something you should be proud of.

The nearly four thousand people that have signed the petition have offered up alternate definitions of the word, all of which paint it in a much better light. The wording of the petition claims that nerds are people with “enormous drive,” and points out that there can be many different kinds of nerds — gaming nerds, word nerds, etc.

SAOL editor Sven-Goran Malmgren noted that the definition of the word was created seven years ago, and admitted the meaning could have changed in that time. He relinquished that the next edition of the dictionary could potentially have an altered definition.

via Digital Spy