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

Examples 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 If not the quixotic quest for the playoffs, then as a testament to quality for players and coaches and a momentum starter for the 2025 season. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2024 There are the holidays, there is the cooler weather, there are the end-of-year lists, the quixotic New Year's resolutions, all manner of things. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 29 Nov. 2024 Bush launched a quixotic attempt to privatize America's most popular entitlement program. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024 First, an anecdote about my battle, mostly quixotic, against tax credits. Roger Valdez, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for quixotic 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quixotic
Adjective
  • There may be great political power in Trump’s claims, but it is based upon a romantic and fundamentally deceptive historical tale.
    Julie Greene / Made by History, TIME, 22 Jan. 2025
  • The capital city's mélange of modern and medieval architecture, stunning symmetrical gardens, and vibrant café terraces add to its romantic allure — and that's all part of what makes Paris a city designed for strolling.
    Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • On top of that, Los Angeles is set to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, which may serve as a looming — albeit impractical — deadline for recovery.
    Denise Chow, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Developing advanced tools entirely in-house is often impractical for financial institutions.
    Rahim Harji, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • McCourt’s pitch tries to encompass not just his idealistic vision for the Internet but pragmatic capitalist arguments.
    Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Your celestial ruler, Venus, is shining an idealistic light on your social circles, long-term goals and dreams, but Jupiter retrograde in Gemini urges you to consider your financial stability and sense of self-worth.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Sly and the Family Stone were a multi-ethnic, multi-gender, multi-genre group when such concepts still seemed impossibly utopian on both the charts and the streets, led by a songwriter who deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as Mozart, Miles and McCartney.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Some fans feel Section 31 is antithetical to the utopian legacy the original series was trying to build.
    Lauren Coates, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • In the new release, Temple plays idealist scientist Dr. Teddy Paine opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor’s General Rex Strickland — the overseer of a secret research facility dedicated to symbiotes.
    Raven Brunner, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024
  • The movie stars Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina, an idealist architect with the power to control time, who is determined to rebuild a city that seems like New York after an accident plunges it into ruins.
    Marco della Cava, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2024

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Thesaurus Entries Near quixotic

Cite this Entry

“Quixotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quixotic. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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