quixotic C2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /kwɪkˈsɑtɪk/ UK /kwɪkˈsɒtɪk/ See IPA manual Freq #71226 Meanings 1 adj not sensible about practical matters; overly idealistic or impractical The team abandoned its quixotic plan to rebuild the whole system in a week. 2 adj resembling Don Quixote in pursuing noble or romantic ideals without practical realism His quixotic campaign attracted attention but little funding. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · not sensible about... idealisticimpracticalromanticunrealisticwild-eyed 2 adj · resembling don quixote in... chivalrousromanticidealistic ↔ Opposites practicalrealisticpragmatic Word family Derived forms quixoticallyunquixotic Related forms quixotismquixotry Etymology AI details Derived from Spanish Quixote, the surname of Don Quixote, the title character in the novel by Miguel de Cervantes, plus -ic. Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # quixotic **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /kwɪkˈsɑtɪk/ **IPA (UK):** /kwɪkˈsɒtɪk/ **Frequency rank:** 71226 ## Meanings 1. not sensible about practical matters; overly idealistic or impractical 2. resembling Don Quixote in pursuing noble or romantic ideals without practical realism ## Examples - The team abandoned its quixotic plan to rebuild the whole system in a week. - His quixotic campaign attracted attention but little funding. ## Synonyms - idealistic - impractical - romantic - unrealistic - wild-eyed ## Antonyms - practical - realistic - pragmatic ## Derived Forms - quixotically - unquixotic ## Related Forms - quixotism - quixotry ## Etymology Derived from Spanish Quixote, the surname of Don Quixote, the title character in the novel by Miguel de Cervantes, plus -ic. ## AI Etymology Quixotic is derived from Spanish Quixote, the surname of Don Quixote, the title character in the novel by Miguel de Cervantes, plus -ic. Morphologically, quixotic is best read as borrowing, yielding an English adjective shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as an adjective, with the sense "not sensible about practical matters; overly idealistic or impractical". English derivatives include quixotically and unquixotic; related forms include quixotism and quixotry. The result is an English adjective whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown