Micawber
Britishnoun
Other Word Forms
- Micawberish adjective
- Micawberism noun
Etymology
Origin of Micawber
C19: after a character in Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield (1850)
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.
As a young, eager-to-please novelist, he had transformed his impecunious father into the whimsical and charming Mr. Micawber of “Copperfield”; after his father’s death came a more selfish and unforgiving version in “Little Dorrit.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2020
Could it be that, though we’ve all heard of the great Mr Micawber and Uriah Heep, our understanding of them is formed more by the accumulated memories of performances in TV and cinema?
From The Guardian • Dec. 20, 2019
The clerk Wilkins Micawber, in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, regained his characteristic optimism after a downturn in fortune by making a bowl of punch.
From Slate • Nov. 20, 2019
The creditor-evading Mr Micawber is played by “Doctor Who” actor Peter Capaldi, while “Game of Thrones” actress Gwendoline Christie portrays the cold Jane Murdstone.
From Reuters • Oct. 2, 2019
The farcical, as illustrated by Micawber, Pecksniff, and Sarah Gamp.
From Woman's Club Work and Programs First Aid to Club Women by Benton, Caroline French
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.
