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Word a Day

quixotic

adjective · /kwɪkˈsɑtɪk/ · Level 4 · Expert

What does quixotic mean?

quixotic (adjective): not sensible about practical matters; idealistic and unrealistic.

Definition: Princeton WordNet 3.1.

How do you use quixotic in a sentence?

How do you pronounce quixotic?

/kwɪkˈsɑtɪk/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.

Where does quixotic come from?

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

Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Test yourself: do you know “quixotic”?

Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.

What does “quixotic” mean?

not sensible about practical matters; idealistic and unrealistic

Right! That's what “quixotic” means.

troublesome, cheeky, badly behaved, impish, naughty, disobedient

Not quite: that's what mischievous means.

strange, and mysteriously unsettling (as if supernatural); weird

Not quite: that's what uncanny means.

short and thick; as e.g. having short legs and heavy musculature

Not quite: that's what chunky means.

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