Havel

American  

[hah-vel] / ˈhɑ vɛl /

noun

1. Václav 1936–2011, Czech writer and political leader: president of Czechoslovakia 1989–92; president of the Czech Republic 1993–2003.

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Havel ¹ British  

/ ˈhaːfəl /

noun

1. a river in E Germany, flowing south to Berlin, then west and north to join the River Elbe. Length: about 362 km (225 miles)

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Havel ² British  

/ ˈhavɛl /

noun

1. Václav (ˈvʌtslav). 1936–2011, Czech dramatist and statesman: founder of the Civil Forum movement for political change: president of Czechoslovakia (1989–92) and of the Czech Republic (1993–2003). His plays include The Garden Party (1963) and Redevelopment (1989)

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Example Sentences

"We're living in the darkest moment that I've experienced on this planet," the 76-year-old "Pretty Woman" star told an awards ceremony in Oslo for the Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

Havel tells the apocryphal story of a greengrocer who refuses to place a sign proclaiming “Workers of the world, unite!” in his shop window.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Havel calls for people to remove the signs and endorse a different world order than the one imposed upon them.

From Salon • Jan. 20, 2026

“Rock ’N’ Roll,” which he dedicated to Vaclav Havel, explores the rebellious, Dionysian force of popular music, an eternal source of inspiration for him, in a play set partly in Prague during the Communist era.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2025

Havel prescribed exactly what our work seemed to require.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson