QUIXOTE Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

quixote

noun

Definition of quixote

as in maverick

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for quixote

Noun

Much of the money came from indie maverick Mark Duplass, who challenged the producers and writer/director Elliott Tuttle to make a film on that shoestring budget.

— Brent Lang, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2026
This fall, Drexler’s wild, maverick sensibility is cropping up all over New York.

— Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of maverick

Noun

But this daffy mix of buddy comedy and conspiracy thriller benefits from his facility with dialogue that’s just south of screwball, as well as the mutual admiration society between McDonagh and actors.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2026
The 1980 screwball comedy, written by Patricia Resnick and Colin Higgins and directed by the latter, also stars Dabney Coleman, Elizabeth Wilson, and Sterling Hayden.

— Katie Campione, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of screwball

Noun

The phrase suggests outsider, nonconformist — things in fashion this year.

— Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2026
At least Guillén still speaks his mind on the Sox’s pre- and postgame shows, so maybe there’s hope for nonconformists after all.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026

Definition of nonconformist

Noun

The immature eccentric initially has no plans to head back to the States, until Christy convinces him to stand tall and fight.

— Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2026
Step inside, though, and you’re transported to a bucolic Britain of rolling hills and village greens, bumbling eccentrics and cute, clever farm animals.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of eccentric

Noun

At Park 566, Shahzad tailed a group of three common loons appearing as little more than black silhouettes in the water.

— Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
That loon’s shrill call, this rock’s marbled face, and the walleye wriggling several feet below are what’s at home here; the paddler, just a visitor.

— Story Hinckley, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of loon

Noun

Halaena can tell that something’s up with mummy, but that kook’s never been too concerned with matters of court.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 June 2026
After Kent’s resignation, Republican hawks denounced him as a kook and a traitor to the cause, without touching on the delicate question of why Trump appointed such a disreputable figure in the first place.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

Definition of kook

Noun

But what was served up were stale, pale sketches that seemed to have been exhumed from some old codger’s book of gags from 19 bloody 50!

— Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2026
My job was to conceptualize and oversee a luncheon for fifty of these luminaries—with the help of a woozy codger standing in front of me.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Oct. 2025

Definition of codger

Noun

Musk, as the documentary makes clear, is a genuine if flawed technocratic visionary, a messianic opportunist, and something of a crackpot.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
Get the angst out of the games, and the crackpots will move on to some other fashionable cause.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026

Definition of crackpot

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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qui vive

quixote

quixotes

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“Quixote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quixote. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of quixote

noun

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