ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dreamer

n. countable
B1 Intermediate US //ˈdɹimɝ// UK //dɹˈiːmɐ// dream·er

n. someone who spends a lot of time thinking about their hopes and goals for the future. This person often has big ideas that might not be practical in real life.

n. a person who is habitually given to daydreaming or who lives in a world of fantasy and imagination. Often implies a lack of pragmatism or a focus on idealistic goals over realistic outcomes.


SIMPLE

He was always a dreamer who wanted to travel the world.

CONTEXTUAL

While her colleagues focused on the daily budget, she was a dreamer who envisioned a global expansion for the small firm.

COMPLEX

The novel portrays the protagonist as a tragic dreamer, caught between the harsh realities of industrial life and his own vivid, unattainable aspirations for a better world.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English dremer, dremere, dremare, equivalent to dream + -er. Cognate with West Frisian dreamer (“dreamer”), Saterland Frisian Dröömer (“dreamer”), Dutch dromer (“dreamer”), German Träumer (“dreamer”), Danish drømmer (“dreamer”), Swedish drömmare (“dreamer”).

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