Don Juan

American  

[don wahn, dawn hwahn, don joo-uhn] / dɒn ˈwɑn, dɔn ˈʰwɑn, dɒn ˈdʒu ən /

noun

1. a legendary Spanish nobleman famous for his many seductions and dissolute life.

2. a libertine or rake.

3. a ladies' man; womanizer.

4. (italics) an unfinished epic satire (1819–24) by Byron.

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Don Juan British  

/ ˈdɒn ˈdʒuːən, don xwan /

noun

1. a legendary Spanish nobleman and philanderer: hero of many poems, plays, and operas, including treatments by de Molina, Molière, Goldoni, Mozart, Byron, and Shaw

2. a successful seducer of women

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Don Juan ¹ Cultural  

1. An obsessive and unscrupulous pursuer of women: “He charms all his female colleagues; he is the Don Juan of the office.” From the legendary nobleman who seduced hundreds of women and was eventually damned for his immoral ways.

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Don Juan ² Cultural  

1. A legendary Spanish nobleman and chaser of women; he first appears in Spanish literature in the seventeenth century. Many authors and composers have depicted him: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in the opera Don Giovanni; Lord Byron, in the long poem “Don Juan”; and George Bernard Shaw, in the play Man and Superman.

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Example Sentences

"It's important to recognize that Don Juan de Onate led many of our families here to this valley," said Espanola Mayor John Ramon Vigil, who supports displaying the statue.

From Reuters • Sep. 28, 2023

She perplexes the heart, in part because she's more than simply a Don Juan figure.

From Salon • Nov. 27, 2022

Her horse, Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, clipped a rail on the 13th of 14 obstacles, the only flaw on an otherwise impressive jaunt.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 6, 2021

Her 12-year-old horse, Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, toppled a few bars toward the end of a routine he finished in 87.15 seconds on an uncharacteristically cool, breezy night.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2021

Much of the meter in Don Juan only works if you read Juan as bi-syllabic.

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green