tilt at windmills
Battle imaginary enemies
To tilt at windmills is to fight imaginary enemies or pursue futile causes.
The phrase comes from Don Quixote, whose deluded hero attacks windmills believing them to be giants.
Someone tilting at windmills wastes energy on battles that exist only in their mind, or crusades against problems that can't be solved: He spent years tilting at windmills, convinced the committee was sabotaging him.
Delusional self-proclaimed knight-errant
- Sancho PanzaSquire to a knight-errant
- La ManchaSpanish historical region
- knight-errantMedieval adventure-seeking warrior
- RocinanteKnight's bony mount
Cervantes · chivalric romance · picaresque · satire · parody · anti-hero · misadventure · tragicomic
Pursuing unrealistic standards
- impracticalNot suited for use
- romanticConducive to love
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
- utopianImpractically perfect in conception
dreamer · naive · chivalrous · fantastical · fanciful · unrealistic · imaginative · optimistic
Lacking any purpose
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- hopelessBeyond possibility of success
- vainExcessively proud or futile
- uselessWithout practical value
unwinnable · wasted · doomed · ineffective · unavailing · unproductive · meaningless · Sisyphean
Misleading sensory impression
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- hallucinationPerception without external cause
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
- chimeraUnrealistic fantasy or hybrid
misconception · misperception · seeing things · mistaken belief · misreading
Refusing to change course
- persistentContinuing despite difficulty
- doggedStubbornly persevering
- tenaciousStubbornly determined to continue
- headstrongStubbornly self-willed
bullheaded · unyielding · determined · relentless · unwavering · single-minded · mulish · pigheaded
Don Quixote
Delusional self-proclaimed knight-errant
- Sancho PanzaSquire to a knight-errant
- La ManchaSpanish historical region
- knight-errantMedieval adventure-seeking warrior
Cervantes · Rocinante · chivalric romance · picaresque · satire · parody · anti-hero · misadventure · tragicomic
idealistic
Pursuing unrealistic standards
- impracticalNot suited for use
- romanticConducive to love
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
utopian · dreamer · naive · chivalrous · fantastical · fanciful · unrealistic · imaginative · optimistic · passionate
pointless
Lacking any purpose
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- hopelessBeyond possibility of success
- vainExcessively proud or futile
useless · unwinnable · wasted · doomed · ineffective · unavailing · unproductive · meaningless · Sisyphean · fool's errand
illusion
Misleading sensory impression
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- hallucinationPerception without external cause
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
chimera · misconception · misperception · seeing things · mistaken belief · misreading
stubborn
Refusing to change course
- persistentContinuing despite difficulty
- doggedStubbornly persevering
- tenaciousStubbornly determined to continue
headstrong · bullheaded · unyielding · determined · relentless · unwavering · single-minded · mulish · pigheaded · willful
tilt at windmillspick your battles
Fight only what matters
get down to brass tacks · roll up one's sleeves · do the needful
tilt, tilts, tilted, tilting, tilter, windmill, windmills, wind, winds