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... idealistic impractical romantic unrealisticwild-eyed

2 adj · resembling don quixote in... chivalrous romantic idealistic

Opposites

practical realistic pragmatic

Word family

Derived forms quixoticallyunquixotic

Related forms quixotismquixotry

Simplified etymology

Quixotic had entered English by 1718 and comes from Don Quixote, the hero of Miguel de Cervantes’s novel. Don Quixote was named after Spanish quijote, earlier quixote, meaning the thigh-piece of a suit of armour.

Etymology

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

# 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

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