adjective
Quixotic
/kwɪkˈsɒtɪk/
Idealistic to the point of being impractical.
Origin
From Don Quixote (1605, 1615) by Miguel de Cervantes — the story of an elderly hidalgo who reads too many chivalric romances, decides he is a knight, and rides off to defend the helpless, attacking windmills he believes to be giants.
Modern usage
Used for noble but doomed campaigns — third-party candidates, indie startups against monopolies, lone investigators chasing fading leads.
Tags
idealism
impracticality