Some people dream big; others get things done. The best plans need both. These words describe dreamers, playful imaginations and the hard-headed test that every dream must pass: is it practical, doable and able to last?
Key idea
Dreamers: idealistic, visionary (sees what the future could be), utopian (a perfect society), quixotic (noble but hopeless). Playful imagination: whimsical, fanciful, reverie (a daydream). Doers: pragmatic (practical), feasible (doable), viable (able to work or last).
The ten words
Common mistake
quixotic comes from the hero of a famous novel who attacked windmills, thinking they were giants; it means admirably but impractically idealistic. feasible means doable, not "likely."
| word | dreamer or doer? | you might hear |
|---|---|---|
| idealistic | dreamer: aims for the ideal | an idealistic plan |
| visionary | dreamer: sees the future | a visionary leader |
| utopian | dreamer: a perfect society | a utopian community |
| quixotic | dreamer: noble but hopeless | a quixotic quest |
| whimsical | playful and odd | a whimsical garden |
| fanciful | imaginary, not realistic | a fanciful tale |
| reverie | a daydream | lost in reverie |
| pragmatic | doer: practical | a pragmatic solution |
| feasible | doer: doable | a feasible schedule |
| viable | doer: able to work or last | a viable business |
Quixotic comes from Don Quixote, the hero of a famous Spanish novel, who charged at windmills thinking they were giants; a quixotic plan is admirable but hopelessly impractical. And feasible means doable, not “likely”: it is feasible to bike across the country, but that doesn’t mean you will.