conquistador
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of conquistador
1540–50; < Spanish equivalent to conquist ( ar ) to conquer ( see conquest) + -ador -ator
Explanation
A conquistador is a person who is out to conquer new territory. A conquistador was the name given to the Fifteenth-to-Seventeenth century Spanish and Portugese soldiers who conquered much of the world, most famously the Central and Southern Americas. Not nice guys, but effective, and the term is still used today to describe certain people — ruthless business types, etc — who are brutally efficient at what they do. The most famous conquistador was the Spanish adventurer, Hernando Cortes, who subdued the mighty Aztec Empire of Mexico. The word comes, not surprisingly, from the Spanish verb conquistar, "to conquer."
Vocabulary lists containing conquistador
Cinco de Mayo: Words to Celebrate Mexico
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The Alchemist
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Bless Me, Ultima
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Because he didn't play any instruments, Reid was never considered an official member of Procul Harum, but he continued to employ his unique turns of phrase on tracks like A Salty Dog, Homburg and Conquistador.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2023
Later, he evolved creatively once more, publishing two novels: "The Last Conquistador" in 2013 and "You Can Go Home Now" in 2020.
From Salon • Nov. 7, 2021
With the Santa Catalina Mountains as a dramatic backdrop, Hilton’s El Conquistador Tucson splits the difference between downtown and the desert.
From Washington Post • Aug. 4, 2021
They're all vying to win the unique Conquistador helmet awarded to the winner in Tucson.
From Fox News • Feb. 26, 2021
Then he puts her right side up and laughs a great big Conquistador laugh that comes all the way from the green, motherland hills of Spain.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
