Quixote

Quixote

ˈkwiksət

Noun

  • A quixotic person.

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Example Sentences

“She’s a bit of a Quixote when it comes to relationships, convinced that love alone can fix incompatible life goals.”

“I felt like a Quixote, promising I’d read 30 books this month while I barely finished one last month.”

“He quit his stable job to start a café that only accepts bartering as payment — a Quixote move.”

Word Origin

Spanish, mid-17th century

Why this word?

Your most impractical, head-in-the-clouds friend may be a Quixote. The noun is usually capitalized because it comes from the 17th-century novel “Don Quixote de la Mancha” by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Originally written in Spanish, this novel is cited as one of the first modern novels, and it was so popular upon release that the words “quixotic” and “Quixote” were in use by the 1640s. The adjective “quixotic” isn’t usually capitalized because it’s been assimilated more into the common lexicon. 

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