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
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
Writers have always been more Don Quixote than Sancho Panza.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Don Quixote
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
Writers have always been more Don Quixote than Sancho Panza.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Don Quixote
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Don Quixote
Noun
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Neuroscientist Karen Konkoly is a lucid dreamer.—
Carolyn Y. Johnson,
Washington Post,
17 Feb. 2026
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Then, dreamers believed Lindsey Vonn, skating with a torn ACL, could navigate the women’s downhill to the medal podium.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The classic, romantic tragedy is a must-see for romantics.—
Caroline Ritzie,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
15 Feb. 2026
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On one of the first few evenings with temperatures above freezing in New York City, romantics have huddled up indoors at Same Same Bar on 9th Avenue.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Don Quixote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Don%20Quixote. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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