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Synonyms

quixotic

American  
[kwik-sot-ik] / kwɪkˈsɒt ɪk /
Sometimes quixotical

adjective

  1. (of a goal, action, or impulse) characterized by impractical idealism or by extravagant chivalry and romantic imagination.

    Synonyms:
    imaginary, fantastic, fanciful
    Antonyms:
    practical, realistic

  2. impulsive, overeager, or capricious.

  3. (sometimes initial capital letter) resembling or befitting Don Quixote.

quixotic British  
/ ˈkwɪksəˌtɪzəm, kwɪkˈsɒtɪk /

adjective

  1. preoccupied with an unrealistically optimistic or chivalrous approach to life; impractically idealistic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • half-quixotic adjective
  • half-quixotically adverb
  • quixotically adverb
  • quixotism noun
  • unquixotic adjective
  • unquixotical adjective
  • unquixotically adverb

Etymology

Origin of quixotic

First recorded in 1805–15; (Don) Quixote + -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But the heart of the film is Boyes’ quixotic search, aided by trackers and anthropologists, and eventually, a regional king.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Some longevity influencers attract rubbernecking for their quixotic quests to live forever, epitomized by venture capitalist Bryan Johnson’s vampiric infusions of his teenage son’s blood plasma.

From Slate • Feb. 26, 2026

“This isn’t some sort of quixotic top-line grab,” Jassy said of the company’s AI investments.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 13, 2026

He ran “a quixotic, if not entirely prankish” campaign for mayor in 1933; per A.J.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

As a form of protest, they did not have a high success rate and the rationale behind them always struck me as quixotic.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.