FROM THE ARCHIVEFriday, September 25, 2026
quixotic
kwik-SOT-ik/kwɪkˈsɑːtɪk//adjective
01 / MEANING
Extravagantly idealistic, especially in pursuing impractical goals.
In a sentence.
- 01
His quixotic plan to restore every abandoned garden won a few allies.
- 02
The campaign seemed quixotic until the town rallied behind it.
Where it came from.
Quixotic is named for Don Quixote, the would-be knight in Miguel de Cervantes's novel. His grand ideals and mistaken battles gave English a word for hopeful but impractical quests.
Explore the sourceWhy it’s interesting.
A literary character became a personality type. The word can sound admiring, skeptical, or both at once.