as in romantic
having or marked by a tendency to be guided more by ideals than by reality
a quixotical attempt to bring live theater to a generation hooked on video games
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quixotical
Adjective
-
Her rosy cheeks and lips amp up the romantic feel of her loose, low, barely-up updo.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
2 Feb. 2026 -
People my age like to wallow in nostalgia for the town, in a romantic narrative of slow living, of sunshine, sea, and wind.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Along with complaints about the building’s size, the Geffen Galleries’ heavy use of concrete had been criticized as an impractical choice for hanging art.—
Malia Mendez,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Erdoğan’s speeches are full of practical advice about how to destroy the left, such as calling progressives lazy, impractical alcoholics funded by globalist lobbies and contrasting the efficiency of an imperial president with the messiness of parliamentary policymaking.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Luddites are back, wrecking technology in a quixotic effort to stop progress.—
Craig S. Smith,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
From that lens, the NCAA portrays the objectors as relying on a novel or quixotic theory (the counterargument, of course, is that the House settlement’s features are matters of first impression for any court and the lack of precedent shouldn’t be disqualifying).—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Needy Venus snubs Jupiter, activating your homey 4th house and your idealistic 9th house.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Yet his passion became a rare species of idealistic extremism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Quixotical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quixotical. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
