Definition
- foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals; especially : marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action
- capricious, unpredictable
(Ref: Merriam-Webster online, Word of the Day, 29 March 2020)
Use it in a sentence
There was no doubt, our CEO was quixotic about the company’s future direction. At this morning’s meeting nobody said a word. Oh there were some nods and approving murmurs, but all the time, every one of us thought, ‘This guy has finally lost the plot’. He was practically frothing at the mouth when he talked about the millions we were going to sink, from manufacturing to marketing, into a new product – seizure dolls. At first, we thought he was talking about toys which would give comfort to children with epilepsy. But no, he was talking about designing dolls that would fall down spontaneously, convulsing until calmed by a caring child. It would trigger compassion in children, he said. It would make the world a kinder and more understanding place, he said. We nodded and raised our eyebrows thoughtfully. But all of us knew it was going to be a spectacular failure, and that the bad press would impact our profits for weeks, maybe months.