quixotic

/kwɪkˈsɒtɪk/

Etymology

Derived from Spanish Quixote, the surname of Don Quixote, the title character in the novel by Miguel de Cervantes, + -ic.

Why this word is great

QUIXOTIC — [Adjective] Resembling or characteristic of Don Quixote; exceedingly idealistic, impractical, or romantic in a way that ignores reality. From Spanish Quixote, the surname of Don Quixote, the protagonist of Miguel de Cervantes' novel, + -ic (adjective-forming suffix). Unlike "calculating" (which weighs costs and benefits) or "jaded" (which dismisses idealism as naive), "quixotic" exalts futile gestures as noble in themselves. It is charging a tollbooth with a lance, reciting poetry to a stray cat, or mailing sandcastles to senators—the glorious, doomed rebellion against the tyranny of the possible.

adj

  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.”
  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.”

noun

  1. A quixotic person or sentiment.“The cultural quixotics attribute the change to inscrutable "cultural factors," which is tantamount to abandoning altogether the search for explanation.”