Definition:
: an improvident person who lives in expectation of an upturn in his fortunes
About the Word:
Wilkins Micawber was an eternally optimistic and frequently impoverished character from Charles Dickens's David Copperfield, published as a serial novel in 1849 and 1850.
Many other character names from Dickens novels have been turned into words, including Pecksniffian (marked by unctuous hypocrisy, from Martin Chuzzlewit), Pickwickian (marked by simplicity and generosity of character, from Pickwick Papers), and, perhaps best-known of all, scrooge (a miserly person, based on Ebenezer Scrooge of A Christmas Carol).
Example:
"A bookie turns the corner onto Johnson Street, selling tickets or offering bets for the races. He's a Micawber, too, if he expects to sell such luxuries here." — The Ladies' Home Journal, November 1922
