What does egghead mean?
An egghead is an intellectual—a person devoted to ideas, study, and abstract thought—especially one perceived as impractical, aloof, or out of step with everyday life. The word is informal and usually carries a teasing or mildly contemptuous edge: calling someone an egghead suggests they may be clever but lack common sense or real-world experience. It entered widespread use in American English in the early 1950s, when critics of Adlai Stevenson, the cerebral Democratic presidential nominee, derided his supporters as eggheads, playing on both his bald head and his professorial image. Despite its mocking origins, the term can be used playfully or even affectionately, and some wear it as a badge of pride. It appears most often in journalism, political commentary, and casual conversation, typically in phrases like "Washington eggheads" or "ivory-tower eggheads." For writers seeking a vivid, colloquial alternative to "intellectual," few words capture the blend of respect and ridicule as efficiently as egghead.
nounAn egghead is an intellectual, especially one regarded as impractical, out of touch with ordinary life, or overly academic. The term is informal and often carries a mildly derogatory or teasing tone.
- An intellectual or highly educated person, especially one seen as impractical or out of touch with everyday concerns (informal, sometimes derogatory).
"The policy was drafted by a committee of Washington eggheads who had never run a small business."
"The startup's founders were classic Silicon Valley eggheads—brilliant researchers with little sense of how to sell anything."
"He dismissed the report as the work of ivory-tower eggheads who had never set foot in a factory."
Regular plural; used when referring to intellectuals collectively.
"The panel was stacked with eggheads from three different universities."
"Egghead" became a national insult during the 1952 US presidential election, when supporters of Adlai Stevenson were mockingly labeled eggheads for their bald-pated, bookish candidate.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of egghead
Egghead is formed by compounding the native English words "egg" and "head," humorously evoking either a bald, egg-shaped cranium or a head stuffed with nothing but book learning. The compound existed sporadically in American slang from the early twentieth century, but it surged into national prominence during the 1952 US presidential campaign, when opponents of Adlai Stevenson used it to caricature his intellectual supporters. It has no cognates in other languages, being a distinctly English-language coinage.
Related word forms
How egghead is actually used
Informal and frequently pejorative, though it can be used self-deprecatingly or affectionately. Strongly associated with mid-20th-century American political rhetoric, where it implied elitism and detachment from common people. Less common in formal writing.
Easily confused with egghead
"Egg on" is a verb phrase meaning to urge or incite someone to do something, whereas "egghead" is a noun meaning an intellectual.