Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Quixotic extravagance in notions, actions, or undertakings; pursuit of absurdly romantic enterprises; uncalled-for or useless chivalry or magnanimity.
Wiktionary
- n. That form of 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.
- n. Quixotry.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. That form of 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. See quixotic.
WordNet 3.0
- n. quixotic (romantic and impractical) behavior
Examples
“His name was Graves, and he regarded what he called the judge's "quixotism" with condescending good-nature.”
“Some critics have called Jones’ quests “quixotic”—but speaking to Jones, one gets the impression he takes certain issues to heart and refuses to let them go, quixotism be damned.”
“As the only moral criterion which we recognize is that of social utility, the public disavowal of one's conviction in order to remain in the Party's ranks is obviously more honourable than the quixotism of carrying on a hopeless struggle.”
“In other words, Burke was quite ready to anticipate, or to meet, any charge of quixotism.”
“I have also had to pay through the nose 175 dollars for my quixotism — a sum which I cannot very well afford.”
“Though he was by that time pretty well cured of his military quixotism, he would not totally decline the generous proffer, for which he thanked him in the most grateful terms, telling the general that he would pay his duty to him on his return from France, and then, if he could determine upon re-engaging in the army, should think himself highly honoured in being under his command.”
“It is difficult to recognize either the wisdom or necessity of this quixotism and nonchalant acceptance of a fate which, until they themselves made the decision, had been by no means certain: but it is impossible not to admire their selfless gallantry.”
“Here shame over our error often makes us continue the fight for a long time, with a wholly groundless and strenuous expenditure of energies, but with all the greater bitterness against our opponent who forces us into this quixotism.”
Simon & Schuster: Conflict and The Web of Group-Affiliations
“If, as Pacheco reports, Luis de Leon was the most taciturn of men, he was chivalrous to the point of quixotism.”
“But Philip was off somewhere, gone out of his life this many a day in a characteristic burst of quixotism.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘quixotism’.
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Additional 250 Spelling Words
Words for the diehard intermediate and advanced spellers
facetiae, sagittary, anthophilous, hydromancy, pandect, carillonneur, tabbouleh, litterateur, windgall, pinguid, tressure, moderne and 238 more...
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Words
phantasmagoria, eviscerate, avast, simulacrum, varicose, oblique, gestalt, ersatz, vernal, vivace, stellate, synecdoche and 321 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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tree's Words
aphasia, anhedonia, promontory, misandry, amanuensis, asymptote, penultimate, muslin, tundra, calico, kinaesthesia, rutabaga and 209 more...
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My GRE word list
polemic, ad hominem, fallacious, comity, paucity, contrite, prosaic, veracious, laconic, pugnacious, alacrity, gregarious and 176 more...
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Vocabulary
My ever expanding vocabulary...
feuterer, abattoir, kibosh, sequin, shiftless, scrimshanker, sic, moniker, dogsbody, contranym, autoantonym, exhortation and 306 more...
Tweets
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