Vol·taire (v?l-târ?, v?l-, vôl-t?r?) Pen name of François Marie Arouet. 1694-1778. French philosopher and writer whose works often attack injustice and intolerance. He wrote the satirical novel Candide (1759) and the Philosophical Dictionary (1764).American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Voltaire (v?l?t??; v??l-; French v?lt?r) n (Biography) pseudonym of François Marie Arouet. 1694?1778, French writer, whose outspoken belief in religious, political, and social liberty made him the embodiment of the 18th-century Enlightenment. His major works include Lettres philosophiques (1734) and the satire Candide (1759). He also wrote plays, such as Zaïre (1732), poems, and scientific studies. He suffered several periods of banishment for his radical views Vol?tairean, Vol?tairian adj, nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Vol?taire (vo?l?t??r, v?l-) n. (François Marie Arouet), 1694?1778, French writer and philosopher. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.