Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who reads a lot: Someone who spends much of their time reading books, often to the point of it being a primary hobby or characteristic.
   • A person overly devoted to book learning: Someone who is perceived as paying excessive attention to academic or theoretical knowledge from books, sometimes at the expense of practical experience or social interaction.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She was a real bookworm, always found with her nose in a novel.
  • The professor was a kindly old bookworm, more comfortable in the library than at a party.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used affectionately to describe an avid reader, but it can also carry a slightly negative connotation of being overly studious, pedantic, or socially withdrawn due to excessive reading.
  • He was teased in school for being a bookworm, but his knowledge won him the quiz competition.

Variants and Related Words

• Bookish (adj): Fond of or devoted to reading and studying; resembling or suggestive of a bookworm.
  • She had a bookish demeanor and wore glasses.

Synonyms

• Bibliophile: A person who loves or collects books. (This term is more positive and focuses on the love of books as objects.)
• Scholar: A specialist in a particular branch of study. (Emphasizes academic achievement.)
• Pedant: A person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning. (This is a more negative synonym for the second sense.)

Idioms and Phrases

• To have one's nose in a book: To be reading intently. This phrase describes the typical posture of a bookworm.
  • Ever since she was a child, she's always had her nose in a book.

Noun

1. someone who spends a great deal of time reading
2. a person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they merit