as in dreamer
one whose conduct is guided more by the image of perfection than by the real world
a latter-day Don Quixote, she's spent her life fighting the state's big logging companies
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Recent Examples of Don Quixote
The bickering survivors of the Canterbury, led by reluctant captain Jim Holden (Steven Strait), become an unlikely band of freedom fighters/kingmakers after commandeering a Martian warship and rebranding it as the Rocinante (named after Don Quixote's horse).
—
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 14 Dec. 2025
Now, as Don Quixote, Losada is donning the armor that Jerry Gulledge, the actor who played the role in the Actors’ Playhouse production 30 years ago, wore.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 17 Nov. 2025
Combining the optimism of Don Quixote and Candide became the guide for my main character—an absolutely surreal, absurd optimist, who believes that even things way out of his league are possible for him.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2025
Loosely centered on the ballet Don Quixote (which is based on the 1600s Spanish novel), Act 2 speaks to kids ages 5–8 about themes of resilience, compassion and friendship—values Copeland says shaped her early years.
—Essence, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Don Quixote
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 14 Dec. 2025
Now, as Don Quixote, Losada is donning the armor that Jerry Gulledge, the actor who played the role in the Actors’ Playhouse production 30 years ago, wore.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 17 Nov. 2025
Combining the optimism of Don Quixote and Candide became the guide for my main character—an absolutely surreal, absurd optimist, who believes that even things way out of his league are possible for him.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2025
Loosely centered on the ballet Don Quixote (which is based on the 1600s Spanish novel), Act 2 speaks to kids ages 5–8 about themes of resilience, compassion and friendship—values Copeland says shaped her early years.
—Essence, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Don Quixote
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Don Quixote
Noun
-
This is a city of dreamers and strivers, so come, bask in their glow, and enjoy a few days of that golden life for yourself.—
CNT Editors,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Those crazy, diverse individuals, that tribe of oddballs and eccentrics, dreamers, and gamblers who make up this business.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But the old romantic in us still tries.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
-
And for the hopeless romantics among us, there’s confessions of love, yearning, and unlikely lovers.—
De Elizabeth,
Glamour,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Don Quixote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Don%20Quixote. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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