quixotic
adjective

- extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical

- foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals

- extravagantly chivalrous or romantic

Oxford Languages / Merriam-Webster / Dictionary dot Com

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WORD ORIGIN

The etymology of the word "quixotic" is derived from the name of the character Don Quixote from the novel "Don Quixote de la Mancha" by Miguel de Cervantes, first published in 1605. The term is used to describe behaviour that is extravagantly chivalrous or romantic, or actions that are idealistic to the point of being foolish or impractical.

“Quixotic" has been used in English since at least the early 18th century. The Oxford English Dictionary cites the earliest known use of "quixotic" from 1718, in the writings of Nicholas Amhurst, a satirist and political writer.

The pronunciation of "quixotic" in English differs from the original Spanish pronunciation of "Quijote" due to the anglicization of the term. In English, the letters "qu" and "x" are pronounced as /kw/ and /ks/, respectively, which may be due to analogy with words like "exotic”.

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QUIXOTIC IDIOMS

- Tilting at windmills = directly references Don Quixote's misguided fight, highlighting unrealistic pursuits.

- Chasing butterflies = implies frivolous pursuits with little substance.

- Chasing rainbows = implies chasing impossible dreams or seeking elusive happiness.

- Building castles in the air = denotes fantastical and impractical ideas.

- A knight on a white horse = suggests a noble but impractical saviour, often with good intentions but impractical methods.

- Head in the clouds = implies being out of touch with reality and lost in fantasy.

- Living in a dream world = describes someone disconnected from the harsh realities of life.

- A fool's errand = straightforwardly labels an undertaking as foolish and impractical.

- Flogging a dead horse = persists in a pointless effort despite no chance of success.

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SYNONYMS

absurd, airy, bizarre, blue-sky, brainless, castle in the air, chimerical, crackpot, crazed, crazy, deluded, deranged, fanciful, fantastical, far-fetched, foolhardy, hallucinatory, harebrained, head in the clouds, idealistic, illusory, impractical, insane, loony, mad, madcap, moonstruck, nonsensical, outlandish, overambitious, pipe dream, preposterous, QUIXOTIC, reckless, screwball, starry-eyed, unrealistic, unworkable, utopian, wild-eyed, with one's head in the clouds, zany

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