Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective quixotic contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of quixotic are chimerical, fanciful, fantastic, imaginary, and visionary. While all these words mean "unreal or unbelievable," quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense.

a quixotic crusade

How does the word chimerical relate to other synonyms for quixotic?

Chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic.

chimerical dreams of future progress

When can fanciful be used instead of quixotic?

The words fanciful and quixotic can be used in similar contexts, but fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination.

a teller of fanciful stories

When would fantastic be a good substitute for quixotic?

While the synonyms fantastic and quixotic are close in meaning, fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief.

a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

When is imaginary a more appropriate choice than quixotic?

The meanings of imaginary and quixotic largely overlap; however, imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination.

an imaginary desert isle

When is it sensible to use visionary instead of quixotic?

While in some cases nearly identical to quixotic, visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization.

visionary schemes

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of quixotic Our devastation of nature is so deep and vast that to reverse its effects, on any front, often entails efforts that are so painstaking and quixotic as to border on the ridiculous. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 Or the sudden, quixotic tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025 Tarantino has a quixotic belief about what film can accomplish. Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2025 On the Github page for the quixotic project, coder ading2210 discusses how Adobe Acrobat included some robust support for JavaScript in the PDF file format. Ars Technica, 15 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quixotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quixotic
Adjective
  • Within weeks of Molly’s arrival in Ireland, her relationship with Jason evolved from professional to romantic.
    Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 10 May 2025
  • Soulmates are a foundational idea in our romantic landscapes, but her logic is irrefutable.
    Belinda Luscombe, Time, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • Real estate investments, including rental properties, (DSTs) with cash if a 1031 exchange is impractical, or real estate investment trusts (REITs), can produce regular income through rental payments.
    Fred Hubler, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
  • This highly contentious deal was criticized for being inhumane and impractical at the time.
    Frey Lindsay, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • All this may sound idealistic, but so far it’s been great.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 14 May 2025
  • Lula insists on pacifism in an idealistic way that is unusual among world leaders.
    Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • Hanson sees the rise of dance pop in the US as reflective of utopian desires in the face of economic recession.
    Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 11 May 2025
  • The Paris Climate Accord is a kind of utopian desire.
    A.D. Amorosi, Variety, 7 May 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Labour leader Starmer, though, has taken a realist rather than an idealist approach to the president, putting Britain's foreign policy interests above the strong opposition to Trump in the rank and file of his own party.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Quixotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quixotic. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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