quixotic

/kwɪkˈsɒtɪk/

adjective

  1. Extremely idealistic, especially to the point of being unrealistic or impractical; marked by romantic, chivalrous, or visionary ideas that are unlikely to succeed.

    C1

    formal

    • "Her plan to plant a million trees in one weekend was a bit quixotic."B2
    • "He spent his savings on a quixotic scheme to build a solar-powered car that could fly."C1
    • "The senator's quixotic crusade against entrenched political corruption won him admirers but few legislative victories."C2

Common mistakes

  • He is a quixotic person who always tells the truth.→He is an idealistic person who always tells the truth.

    Quixotic implies unrealistic idealism, not simply being honest or principled.

  • quixotical→quixotic

    Quixotic is already an adjective; adding -al creates a non-standard form.

Collocations

quixotic questquixotic idealistquixotic schemequixotic mission

Word family

quixoticallyQuixoteDon Quixote