as in romantic
having or marked by a tendency to be guided more by ideals than by reality
in this age of giant chain stores, any attempt at operating an independent bookstore must be regarded as quixotic
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Recent Examples of quixotic
My lab has been on a decade-long quixotic adventure to study awake infants with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a form of brain imaging that can measure activity from regions deep in the brain such as the hippocampus.
—
Nick Turk-Browne, Scientific American, 28 July 2025
He was widely lauded for his anti-corruption fight — adding fuel to the dismay over his quixotic power grab.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 25 July 2025
Since then, Anna has embarked on a quixotic mission to pursue the objects.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
František, the more optimistic and quixotic of the two, has spent the last 20 years attempting to build a flying perpetuum machine — daydreamy compensation, perhaps, for having lost an arm in a sawmill accident decades before.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quixotic
Nick Turk-Browne, Scientific American, 28 July 2025
He was widely lauded for his anti-corruption fight — adding fuel to the dismay over his quixotic power grab.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 25 July 2025
Since then, Anna has embarked on a quixotic mission to pursue the objects.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
František, the more optimistic and quixotic of the two, has spent the last 20 years attempting to build a flying perpetuum machine — daydreamy compensation, perhaps, for having lost an arm in a sawmill accident decades before.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quixotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quixotic
Adjective
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In this state, the nervous system’s fight-or-flight response takes priority, inhibiting relaxation, pleasure and trust, which make for the key ingredients of romantic connection.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The history of when to break romantic tension on a TV series often has an outsized impact on the reception or even lifespan of that series.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But, because mange often accompanies secondary infections and nutritional imbalances, treatment in the wild is impractical, making the work at Walden's Puddle and other rehabilitation facilities all the more important, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Communications Manager Jason Harmon said.—
Katie Nixon,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Sep. 2025
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The internet faced ridicule for its impractical nature during its initial development phase.—
Sadhasivam Mohanadas,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Where that show’s boss (played by Steve Carell) was a bit of an inappropriate fool, Gleeson’s character is more idealistic.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
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Luke played Adam, an idealistic and patriotic young man who joins the Army in his father’s footsteps after the tragic events of 9/11.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That kind of utopian projection around a magical new technology might sound familiar today.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Sep. 2025
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Further east, the Russian revolutionaries of 1917 adopted a utopian faith in material progress and science.—
Sonja Fritzsche,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Wish-casting a better result for a confrontation in a different place, Vindman suppresses how much and how often America antagonized Russia through its idealist actions, rather than realist inaction.—
Samuel Moyn,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
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This, in turn, becomes logically reliant on the idealist paradigm of Consciousness as the fundamental lowest common denominator of reality.—
Carlo Tortora Brayda,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quixotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quixotic. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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