Word of the Day

: December 11, 2023

quixotic

adjective kwik-SAH-tik

What It Means

Quixotic describes people and ideas that are foolishly impractical, especially as they pursue or relate to the pursuit of ideals. A quixotic person is often known for lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action. Quixotic can also describe things that are unpredictable.

// Although they lived on opposite ends of the world, they shared quixotic dreams about the future.

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quixotic in Context

"Lena Dunham doesn’t care if you love her or hate her; she only cares that she tells a story honestly. When it debuted on HBO in 2012, her stunningly authentic semi-autobiographical show rocked a TV ecosystem that primed audiences to expect a dark comedy about four, white female friends in NYC to deliver a quixotic ... fantasy. Instead, the only fantasies it peddled were the ones that depicted a fresh-out-of-college confessional writer finding literati success despite a dearth of detectable talent." — Daniel Fienberg, Angie Han, and Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Oct. 2023

Did You Know?

If you guessed that quixotic has something to do with Don Quixote, you're absolutely right. The hero of Miguel de Cervantes' 17th-century Spanish novel El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha (in English "The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha") didn't change the world by tilting at windmills, but he did leave a linguistic legacy in English. The adjective quixotic is based on his name and has been used to describe unrealistic idealists since at least the early 18th century. The novel has given English other words as well. Dulcinea, the name of Quixote's beloved, has come to mean "mistress" or "sweetheart," and rosinante, which is sometimes used to refer to an old horse, comes from the name of the hero's less-than-gallant steed, Rocinante.