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Voltaire

Voltaire

15 6.3
A French writer and thinker from the 1700s who supported freedom of speech and religion
  • proper noun
  • /voʊlˈtɛr/
translation icon : Voltaire
  • In his writings, Voltaire challenged the norms of society and religion.
  • Cabaret Voltaire
  • Voltaire's Candide
  • writers such as Voltaire

Jean Jacques Rousseau, you know, Voltaire, people like that.

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Examples

  • I have read the plays of Corneille, Racine, Molière, and Voltaire.

  • Yet, as Voltaire admonished, it is often the exception and not the rule.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Chance is a word without sense; nothing can exist without a cause. -Voltaire

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Consider the following quote by the writer Voltaire: "What a heavy burden is a name that has become famous too soon.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Did you know Voltaire was the first to suggest that the universe was created by a gigantic explosion?

  • "A despot always has his good moments," wrote Voltaire in addressing the issue of tyranny.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Friedrich admired Voltaire's ideas, his prose, his poetry, his drama, and above all, the fact that he was French.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Enlightenment writers such as Voltaire and Montesquieu introduced comparative religion, with destructive effects on church dogma.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Voltaire was a prominent advocate for Voltaire during the Enlightenment period.

  • As a philosopher, Voltaire emphasized the importance of critical thinking and reason.

Surface Forms

Voltaire main

Etymology

Voltaire was a pen name chosen by the French writer François-Marie Arouet. One popular story says he made Voltaire by changing the letters of Arouet, and some people also link it to the word voluntary ('willing') or the French verb voler ('to fly'), which gives the picture of a free, flying voice. That's why the name fits a writer famous for speaking up for freedom of speech.