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Candide

[French kahn-deed]
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noun
  1. a philosophical novel (1759) by Voltaire.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for candide

Historical Examples

  • The optimist of Candide was a Mallock in mourning compared to this.

    Memoirs

    Charles Godfrey Leland

  • For "Candide" is not only a clever book, a witty book, a wise book.

    Suspended Judgments

    John Cowper Powys

  • Candide opposed these sentiments, but he did it in a discreet manner.

    Classic French Course in English

    William Cleaver Wilkinson

  • In Candide, or the Optimist, there is an admirable stroke of Voltaire's.

  • Yes, and saw them burn the new edition of Monsieur Voltaire's Candide.

    Historical Miniatures

    August Strindberg

candide in Culture

Candide

[(kan-deed, kahnn-deed) (1759)]

A novel of satire by Voltaire, in which a long series of calamities happens to the title character, an extremely naive and innocent young man, and his teacher, Doctor Pangloss. Pangloss, who reflects the optimistic philosophy of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz, nevertheless insists that, despite the calamities, “all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.”

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.