Don Juan

noun

ˈdän-ˈ(h)wän 

 chiefly British and in poetry  dän-ˈjü-ən

1

: a legendary Spaniard proverbial for his seduction of women

2

: a captivating man known as a great lover or seducer of women

Don Juanism

ˈdän-ˈ(h)wän-ˌi-zəm 

dän-ˈjü-ə-ˌni-

noun

Synonyms

• Casanova
• lecher
• lothario
• lounge lizard
• masher
• philanderer
• satyr
• wolf
• womanizer

Examples of Don Juan in a Sentence

at the hotel bar she was immediately hit on by the local Don Juan

Recent Examples on the Web

The upper register visually translates the four obstacles to knowledge—fear, clarity, power, and old age—as written in Carlos Castaneda’s The Teachings of Don Juan. —Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019

Photo: Don Juan Moore / Getty Images DT R-Jr. 47 Sam Brown WR Miami Height: 6-2 Weight: 194 Class: Sr. —Dane Brugler, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024

Her Off-Broadway plays have included Don Juan Comes Back From the War, The Tooth of Crime., and Hot’N Throbbing among many others. —Marc Berman, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

This spring, Joni Mitchell rolled out a box set of albums from the late Seventies, including Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2024

The collection features demos, alternate versions, and live recordings from the era that saw Mitchell release Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, Mingus, and Shadows and Light. —Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2024

Princeton University researchers Benedict Hogan and Mary Caswell Stoddard have been studying the courtship routines of this tiny Don Juan, published today in the journal Nature Communications. —Alison MacKey, Discover Magazine, 18 Dec. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Spanish

First Known Use

1679, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

Don Juan

noun

(ˈ)dän-ˈ(h)wän, British usually dän-ˈjü-ən

plural Don Juans

: a man who pursues women promiscuously