Quixotism

//ˈkwɪksəˌtɪzm// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A form of idealism and delusion which leads to extravagant and absurd undertakings or sacrifices in obedience to a morbidly romantic ideal of duty or honor, as illustrated by the exploits of Don Quixote in knight-errantry. countable, uncountable

    "M. Georges Berry, the Paris municipal councilor, has broken many a lance in tilting against old, and in some cases, time honored, abuses, and for his pains has not infrequently heard it suggested that there was a dash of Quixotism in his composition."

  2. 2
    Alternative letter-case form of quixotism. alt-of, countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    quixotic (romantic and impractical) behavior wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
autismdereismflight of fancyidealidealismidealization

Example

More examples

"M. Georges Berry, the Paris municipal councilor, has broken many a lance in tilting against old, and in some cases, time honored, abuses, and for his pains has not infrequently heard it suggested that there was a dash of Quixotism in his composition."

Etymology

From Quixote + -ism.

Related phrases

don quixote

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.