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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

quixotic

/kwɪkˈsɑtɪk/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:46
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What does quixotic mean?

adjective

  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.
  2. Overly optimistic and moralistic.
  3. Exceedingly idealistic.
More meanings (2)

adjective

  1. Alternative letter-case form of quixotic.

noun

  1. (rare) A quixotic person or sentiment.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/kwɪkˈsɑtɪk/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other dictionary pronunciations

/kwɪɡˈzɑtɪk//kiːˈzɑtɪk/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Is it too quixotic to urge teachers who tell stories to little children to bear these thoughts, and better ones of their own, in mind?
Sara Cone BryantStories to Tell to ChildrenProject Gutenberg ebook #473
It may have been Quixotic, but it was magnificent.
J. M. (James Matthew) BarriePeter Pan : $b [Peter and Wendy]Project Gutenberg ebook #16
More book examples (3)
The annals of this Ninth Crusade are yet to be written,—the tale of a mission that seemed to our age far more quixotic than the quest of St. Louis seemed to his.
W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt) Du BoisThe Souls of Black FolkProject Gutenberg ebook #408
But everything that he wrote on the subject, as on kindred subjects, has a distinctly quixotic ring, and we fear he would not have been a very substantial pillar for the British capitalist to lean against.
Thomas WrightThe Life of Sir Richard BurtonProject Gutenberg ebook #4315
On the face of it his effort seemed Quixotic, for he confessed at the outset that in science he was "utterly destitute of that kind of knowledge which carries authority," and his argument soon showed that this confession was entirely true.
Andrew Dickson WhiteHistory of the Warfare of Science with Theology in ChristendomProject Gutenberg ebook #505