Can ‧ dide /kɒnˈdiːd $ kɑːn-/ BrE AmE
(1759) a book by the French writer ↑ Voltaire which is a ↑ satire (=humorous criticism) on the belief that ‘everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds’. Candide is a young man who is taught to be an ↑ optimist , but his experiences show him how bad life is, and he decides that it is best to ‘cultivate (=look after) one’s own garden’.