dreamer

American  

[dree-mer] / ˈdri mər /

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.

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dreamer British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of dreamer

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

Example Sentences

So it is all the more affecting that for this charming last novel, he left us with a dreamer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

"If you are a creative thinker with a practical approach, or a dreamer with a thoughtful and achievable vision, we would love to hear from you," the park said.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

British journalist William Pike, who interviewed Museveni in 1984, described him as having the "faraway look... of a dreamer, a revolutionary" who was "intensely serious but showed flashes of humour".

From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026

When I first interviewed him in 2005, he seemed a dreamer with little hope of success and had never launched a single rocket.

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025

Johnny had a hankering after immortality which made him a useless dreamer.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Related Words

• idealist