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 Best Buy has a bunch of PlayStation 5 games on sale for super-low prices this weekend, but our top pick is Hideo Kojima's quixotic post-Metal Gear project Death Stranding. K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 6 Dec. 2024 As so began a quixotic quest, snowballing into winter, cheered by skiers and snowboarders in Oregon and beyond, to raise about $200 million and wrest Mt. Bachelor from the corporate titans of a consolidating industry. John Branch, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025 The goal should not be eradicating EOL—a quixotic effort—but rather determining and defending acceptable risk. Ismail Amla, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025 Jim’s funneling of his grief into a quixotic search for certainty, rather than moving on, is as much a thematic trope as his wall crammed with data and theories is a visual one. Alison Herman, Variety, 2 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quixotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quixotic
Adjective
  • After the invisible-car antics of Die Another Day, Daniel Craig's series of turns as Bond brought the franchise back to basics, beginning with 2006's romantic, suspenseful Casino Royale.
    EW.com, EW.com, 23 Mar. 2025
  • The moment was born out of a need for Edward to have something to do in the hotel while Vivian comes looking for him, leading into to a romantic sequence.
    Kate Hogan, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The most innovative ideas often seem strange or impractical at first.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
  • European Army and the EU The nebulous idea of a European military has long floated around, but mostly dismissed as impractical and unnecessary while NATO exists in its current form.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • However, finding a free market that fully embodies this idealistic form of capitalism is difficult.
    Gabrielle Boko, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • And in that respect, there is a chance Starmer could drag the monarchy headlong into a major backlash, particularly with idealistic young people, whose support Charles is already struggling to maintain.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • And underpinning all of this is the relentless march of technology, most notably the explosion of artificial intelligence, which promises both utopian opportunities and dystopian pitfalls.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Novels about women’s communities tend toward utopian coexistence or ruthless backbiting.
    Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 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 29 Mar. 2025.

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