noun
- a woman who is idealized or loved, especially one who is unattainable or imaginary; a sweetheart or beloved
Usage: often capitalized when referring to the character from Don Quixote; literary or romantic in tone; may carry ironic or humorous connotation
Examples
- He pursued his dulcinea with the same hopeless devotion as Don Quixote.
- The poet wrote sonnets to his dulcinea, though she barely knew his name.
- In his imagination, she was his dulcinea—perfect and forever out of reach.
- He treated every woman he met as if she were his dulcinea.
- The novel's protagonist chased after his dulcinea across the continent.