quixotic

comparative more quixotic · superlative most quixotic · alternative Don Quixotic · alternative Don-Quixotic · alternative Quixotic

1. Resembling or characteristic of the Spanish chivalric hero Don Quixote; possessed with or resulting from the desire to do noble and romantic deeds, without thought of realism and practicality.

   Olivier, as you know, was quixotic, and would not permit a secret service and spies.

   1911 January 7, G[ilbert] K[eith] Chesterton, “The Sign of the Broken Sword”, in The Innocence of Father Brown, London; New York, N.Y.: Cassell and Company, published 1911, →OCLC

   3 more examples

   The message is not subliminal. […] Characters aren’t just quixotic, they cite Cervantes to one another.

   2012 June 21, Alessandra Stanley, “So Sayeth the Anchorman”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   The war triggered in [Miguel de] Unamuno the realization that, in hopeless times, quixotic lunacy could save people from the paralysis that often accompanies defeatism.

   2017 May 29, Mariana Alessandri, “In Praise of Lost Causes”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   In the digital age, building a new library filled with old-fashioned printed books seems idealistic, almost quixotic.

   2022 April 17, Stephen Burgen, “Barcelona honours Gabriel García Márquez with new library”, in The Observer, →ISSN

2. Overly optimistic and moralistic.
3. Exceedingly idealistic.

   Call it a brain freeze, another 'Aleppo moment,' or a mere campaign stumble, but Gary Johnson has stumbled again in his quixotic presidential campaign.

   2016 September 29, Josh Lederman, Patrick Mairs, “Brain freeze? Gary Johnson can’t name favorite world leader”, in PBS NewsHour, Associated Press, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2018

plural quixotics · alternative Don Quixotic · alternative Don-Quixotic · alternative Quixotic

1. rareA quixotic person or sentiment.

   The cultural quixotics attribute the change to inscrutable "cultural factors," which is tantamount to abandoning altogether the search for explanation.

   1975, Michael B. Schiffer, John H. House, The Cache River Archeological Project, page 179

comparative more Quixotic · superlative most Quixotic

1. Alternative letter-case form of quixotic.

   Don Quixote undertook to redress the bodily wrongs of the world, but the redressment of mental vagaries would be an enterprise more than Quixotic.

   1822 July 19, Thomas Jefferson, “Correspondence”, in Thomas Jefferson Randolph, editor, Memoirs, Correspondence, and Private Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Late President of the United States. Now First Published from the Original Manuscripts., volume IV, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], published 1829, page 362

   5 more examples

   When we see a man dramatically lamenting in a publication intended to be believed, that “The age of chivalry is gone;” that “the glory of Europe is extinguished forever!” that “the unbought grace of life (if any one knows what it is,) the cheap defence of nations, the nurse of manly sentiment and heroic enterprise is gone!” And all this because the Quixotic [1791: Quixote] age of chivalric nonsense is gone, what opinion can we form of his judgment, or what regard can we pay to his facts?

   1830 [1791], Thomas Paine, “Rights of Man. Being an Answer to Mr Burke’s Attack on the French Revolution. Part I”, in The Political Writings of Thomas Paine, Secretary to the Committee of Foreign Affairs in the American Revolution. […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: […] Solomon King, […], page 55

   But I never met with very warm support in carrying on this object, but was often exposed to some sarcastical insinuations or sardonic smiles from those who thought the attempt to ameliorate the condition of the Gipsies, only Quixotic.

   1831, James Crabb, quoting I. Cobbin, “Further interesting Correspondence”, in The Gipsies’ Advocate; or, Observations on the Origin, Character, Manners, and Habits of the English Gipsies: To Which Are Added, Many Interesting Anecdotes, on the Success That Has Attended the Plans of Several Benevolent Individuals, Who Anxiously Desire Their Conversion to God, London: Seeley, […]; Westley and Davis, […]; Hatchard, […], page 153

   The Queen-mother had a right to daily rations from the palace for her household. She complained once that her rations were not sent, whereupon she was told with Quixotic humour, that her servants might come and take their dues daily; for the King’s cupboards were all open—and all empty.

   1869 January, “1. Mémoires de la Cour d’Espagne sous le Règne de Charles II, 1678–1682. […] 2. Lettres de Madame de Villars à Madame de Coulanges, (1679–1681). […]”, in The Edinburgh Review, or Critical Journal, volume CXXIX, number CCLXIII, London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer; Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, pages 6–7

   That the whole conception is instinct with Quixotic humour need excite no surprise, when we consider that the mind which planned it was engaged at the very time in calling into being that unique character, the Governor of Barataria!

   1883, James Y[oung] Gibson, “Translator’s Preface”, in Journey to Parnassus […] Translated into English Tercets with Preface and Illustrative Notes […], London: Kegan Paul, Trench and Co., […], page xli

   He was one of the few, very few, translators that have shown any apprehension of the unsmiling gravity which is the essence of Quixotic humour; […]

   1885, John Ormsby, “Introduction”, in The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha […] In Four Vols, volume I, London: Smith, Elder & Co. […], →OCLC, , section “Prefatory”, page 6