QUIXOTICAL Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

quixotical

adjective

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for quixotical

Adjective

On the fall 2026 runways, romantic clothes arrived styled like everything else in your closet—a lace skirt with a cotton shirt, a gown with a combat boot, a ruffled collar over plain velvet trousers—and the shift is visible on the street too.

— Laurence Goldberg, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
With a softly rounded outline and romantic facets, the cut evokes the era of craftsmanship that determined a diamond’s brilliance.

— Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of romantic

Adjective

Also, many families of rare disease patients spend years creating databases, known as natural history studies, so they can be used as control groups in trials instead of giving patients a placebo, which is often impractical and unethical.

— Gerry Smith, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Texas law requires elementary schools to provide at least 30 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, which can be cut to 27 minutes per day if scheduling makes the full amount impractical.

— Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of impractical

Adjective

Like its first season, season two of The Lowdown follows Ethan Hawke as Lee Raybon, a freelance journalist and bookstore owner in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a nose for trouble and a hefty dose of quixotic, self-righteous moral indignation.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Rockaway itself is an unusually cinematic place, with its open sky and quixotic light.

— Sam Fleischner, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of quixotic

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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quixotic

quixotical

quiz

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“Quixotical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quixotical. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of quixotical

adjective

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