Idealistic vs. Quixotic — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Idealistic and Quixotic
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Compare with Definitions
Idealistic
Of, relating to, or having the nature of an idealist or idealism.
Quixotic
Extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical
A vast and perhaps quixotic project
Idealistic
Of or pertaining to an idealist or to idealism.
Quixotic
Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality.
Idealistic
Of or pertaining to idealists or their theories.
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Quixotic
Capricious; impulsive
"At worst his scruples must have been quixotic, not malicious" (Louis Auchincloss).
Idealistic
Of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of the reality of ideas
Quixotic
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; exceedingly idealistic.
Idealistic
Of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style;
An exalted ideal
Argue in terms of high-flown ideals
A noble and lofty concept
Quixotic
(rare) A quixotic person or sentiment.
Quixotic
Like Don Quixote; romantic to extravagance; prone to pursue unrealizable goals; absurdly chivalric; apt to be deluded. See also quixotism.
Quixotic
Like the deeds of Don Quixote; ridiculously impractical; unachievable; extravagantly romantic; doomed to failure; as, a quixotic quest.
The word "quixotic" . . . has entered the common language, with the meaning "hopelessly naive and idealistic," "ridiculously impractical," "doomed to fail." That this epithet can be used now in an exclusively pejorative sense not only shows that we have ceased to read Cervantes and to understand his character, but more fundamentally it reveals that our culture has drifted away from its spiritual roots.
Quixotic
Not sensible about practical matters; unrealistic;
As quixotic as a restoration of medieval knighthood
A romantic disregard for money
A wild-eyed dream of a world state
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