dreamer

[dree-mer]

noun

1. a person who dreams.

   The dream provides insights into the interior life of the dreamer, or so say many psychotherapists.

2. a person who lives in a world of fantasy; one who is impractical and unrealistic.

   The phrase "economically illiterate" has long been used to smear leftists as unrealistic utopian dreamers.

3. a person whose ideas or projects are considered audacious or highly speculative; visionary.

   Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was considered a dreamer—and what a wonderful dream it is!

4. Usually Dreamer Sometimes DREAMer a person who qualifies for DACA or the Dream Act.

dreamer

/ ˈdriːmə /

noun

1. a person who dreams habitually

2. a person who lives in or escapes to a world of fantasy or illusion; escapist

3. archaic,  a prophet; visionary

Word History and Origins

Origin of dreamer¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; dreamer def. 4 first recorded in 2010–15; Middle English; dream, -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

King’s critiques of capitalism, militarism and structural racism are often downplayed in most mainstream remembrances, leaving behind a softer image of peaceful dreamer.

Read more on Salon

And yet, true to his core as an iconoclastic dreamer willing to risk everything for the sake of discovering the unknown, he still says, “It was worth it.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He fills the wide screen with bursts of light or a background giving way to a fantasy sequence while the dreamer remains in the foreground, with zooms and cutting and odd angles.

Read more on Salon

And now, the mythology — the endless possibilities, the new beginnings that inspired countless entrepreneurs, evangelists and everyday dreamers — seems tired.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

While Gerhardsson said he is "not a dreamer", if he is to bow out with one last hurrah in Switzerland, his side will seek revenge if they land England in the last eight.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• idealist