Don Quixote

American  

[don kee-hoh-tee, don kwik-suht, dawn kee-haw-te] / ˌdɒn kiˈhoʊ ti, dɒn ˈkwɪk sət, dɔn kiˈhɔ tɛ /

noun

1. the hero of a novel by Cervantes who was inspired by lofty and chivalrous but impractical ideals.

2. (italics) (Don Quixote de la Mancha ) the novel itself (1605 and 1615).

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Don Quixote British  

/ ˈkwɪksət, don kiˈxote, ˈdɒn kiːˈhəʊtiː /

noun

1. an impractical idealist

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Don Quixote Cultural  

1. (1605–1615) A novel by Miguel de Cervantes. The hero, Don Quixote (don is a Spanish title of honor), loses his wits from reading too many romances and comes to believe that he is a knight destined to revive the golden age of chivalry. A tall, gaunt man in armor, he has many comical adventures with his fat squire, Sancho Panza.

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Discover More

A person who is both idealistic and impractical is often said to be “quixotic.”

Etymology

Origin of Don Quixote

after the hero of Cervantes' Don Quixote de la Mancha

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Don Quixote

Even Miguel de Cervantes’s aging Don Quixote is driven into a phantasmagoric abyss by the reading of chivalrous romance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

Earlier this year, Cuello took the stage at Don Quixote, performing in front of a sold-out crowd for her Los Angeles debut.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Any investor panic the writing caused was short-lived, although if fiction can now tank stocks, I’m a little worried about what Moby-Dick means for SeaWorld’s parent company, or Don Quixote for the wind energy sector.

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

But he’s more of a Don Quixote tilting at windmills because his solutions amount to the same level of self-delusion.

From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2025

Don Quixote was relieved: his beloved squire had spoken well, and he was safe.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Related Words

• dreamer
• idealist
• prophet
• romantic
• seer
• theorist
• zealot