Quixotic

quixotic

adjective quix·ot·ic \kwik-ˈsä-tik\

: hopeful or romantic in a way that is not practical

Full Definition of QUIXOTIC

: foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals; especially : marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action

: capricious, unpredictable

— quix·ot·i·cal \-ti-kəl\ adjective

— quix·ot·i·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Examples of QUIXOTIC

In … an earnest book-length essay of neo-Victorian public-mindedness that deplores the “nasty, knowing abuse” that the author would have us fear contaminates too much American humor lately, David Denby, a movie critic for The New Yorker, sets for himself what has to be one of the most quixotic projects that a moral reformer can undertake. —Walter Kirn, New York Times Book Review, 22 Feb. 2009
The history of biblical oil prospecting is filled with quixotic quests and colorful characters, starting with Welsie Hancock, a wealthy California man who in the 1960s dreamed that Jesus told him he would find black gold in the Holy Land. He sunk his entire fortune into two dry holes. —Mariah Blake, Mother Jones, January and February 2008
Mumey had announced his candidacy as an independent in the partisan election, which meant that he needed 2,300 signatures of registered voters in order to get on the ballot in the fall. It seemed a quixotic adventure, given the small size of Celebration and Mumey's lack of name recognition outside the town. —Douglas Frantz et al., Celebration, USA, 1999
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Origin of QUIXOTIC

Don Quixote

First Known Use: 1718

Synonym Discussion of QUIXOTIC

imaginary, fanciful, visionary, fantastic, chimerical, quixotic mean unreal or unbelievable. imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination <an imaginary desert isle>. fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination <a teller of fanciful stories>. visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization <visionary schemes>. fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief <a fantastic world inhabited by monsters>. chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic <chimerical dreams of future progress>. quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense <a quixotic crusade>.

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