romanticize

R1O1M3A1N1T1I1C3I1Z10E1
UK/rə(ʊ)ˈmantɪsaɪz/US/roʊˈmæntɪsaɪz/

verb

To interpret, view, or portray something in a romantic (unrealistic, idealized) manner.

Similar
glamorizeromanticiseglamourise
OriginEnglish romantic ← Old French romaunt ← Vulgar Latin rōmānicē →
UncommonScrabble 24
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbromanticize (third-person singular simple present romanticizes, present participle romanticizing, simple past and past participle romanticized)

present singular third person romanticizes · participle present romanticizing · participle past romanticized · past romanticized · alternative romanticise

  1. transitiveTo interpret, view, or portray something in a romantic (unrealistic, idealized) manner.

    While we might have a tendency to romanticize the past, the reality is that cooking was often a monotonous, arduous, thankless task required to keep the family fed.

    2016, Jayson Lusk, Unnaturally Delicious, →ISBN, page 47

    Synonyms: glamorize

  2. intransitiveTo think or act in a romantic manner.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo interpret, view, or portray something in a romantic (unrealistic, idealized) manner.

Similar
glamorize

More synonyms by meaning

verbinterpret romantically

Similar
romanticiseglamorizeglamourise
Broader
idealizeidealise

verbmake romantic in style

Similar
romanticise
Broader
changealtermodify
Also see
glamorize

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. LatinRōma
  2. LatinRōmānus
  3. Latinrōmānicus
  4. Vulgar Latinrōmānicē
  5. Old Frenchromanz
  6. Old Frenchromaunt
  7. Englishromant
  8. Englishromantic
  9. Englishromanticize

From romantic + -ize.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan romantitzar, idealitzar
  • romantitzarto view something in a romantic manner
  • idealitzarto view something in a romantic manner
Dutch romantiseren
  • romantiserento view something in a romantic manner
Finnish olla romanttinen, romantisoida
  • olla romanttinento think or act in a romantic manner
  • romantisoidato view something in a romantic manner
French romantiser
  • romantiserto view something in a romantic manner
German romantisieren
  • romantisierento view something in a romantic manner
Italian romanzare
  • romanzareto view something in a romantic manner
Korean 미화(美化)하다
  • 미화(美化)하다 (mihwa-hada)to view something in a romantic manner
Spanish romantizar
  • romantizarto view something in a romantic manner
Swedish romantisera
  • romantiserato view something in a romantic manner
Cite this entry
APA

romanticize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/romanticize

MLA

“romanticize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/romanticize. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “romanticize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/romanticize.

Source: romanticize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.