different between quixotic vs idiosyncratic

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish Quixote, the surname of Don Quixote, the titular character in the novel by Miguel de Cervantes, +? -ic.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kw?k?s?t?k/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kw?k?s?t?k/, /kw???z?t?k/, /ki??z?t?k/
• (rare) IPA^(key): /ki??t?k/
• Rhymes: -?t?k

Adjective

quixotic (comparative more quixotic, superlative most quixotic)

1. Possessing or acting with the desire to do noble and romantic deeds, without thought of realism and practicality; exceedingly idealistic.
2. Impulsive.
3. Like Don Quixote; romantic to extravagance; absurdly chivalric; apt to be deluded.

Usage notes

Although the term is derived from the name of the character Don Quixote, the letters qu and x are both read as is usual for English spelling (/kw/ and /ks/), possibly due to analogy with exotic. In "Don Quixote", by contrast, the pronunciation more closely resembles the modern Spanish (/k/ and /h~x/).

Derived terms

• quixotically

Translations

English

Etymology

From idiosyncrasy +? -ic.

Adjective

idiosyncratic (comparative more idiosyncratic, superlative most idiosyncratic)

1. Peculiar to a specific individual; eccentric.
   • 1982, Michael Walsh, "Music: A Fresh Falstaff in Los Angeles," Time, 26 April:

     British Director Ronald Eyre kept the action crisp; he was correctly content to execute the composer's wishes, rather than impose a fashionably idiosyncratic view of his own.

Derived terms

• idiosyncratical
• idiosyncraticity

Related terms

• idiosyncrasy

Translations

Further reading

• idiosyncratic at OneLook Dictionary Search