Casanova

noun

Ca·​sa·​no·​va ˌka-zə-ˈnō-və 

ˌka-sə-

plural Casanovas

: a man known for seducing women and having many lovers

Women were terribly charmed by him; a veritable Casanova, he had five wives and literally dozens of mistresses …

—Benjamin Segedin

A bad boy—a beyond-sexy Casanova who loves 'em, leaves 'em and thumbs his nose at matrimony …

—Colin Covert

Robert Downey Jr. stars as a post-adolescent Casanova who gets a jolt of sensitivity from a sweet conquest, inevitably played by Molly Ringwald.

—Entertainment Weekly

Synonyms

• Don Juan
• lecher
• lothario
• lounge lizard
• masher
• philanderer
• satyr
• wolf
• womanizer

Examples of Casanova in a Sentence

He has a terrible reputation as a Casanova.

to hear him tell it, he was his college's number one Casanova

Word History

Etymology

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Biographical Definition

Casanova

biographical name

Ca·​sa·​no·​va ˌka-zə-ˈnō-və 

ˌka-sə-

Giovanni Giacomo 1725–1798 originally Giacomo Girolamo Casanova; alias Jean-Jacques, Chevalier de Seingalt Italian adventurer and memoirist