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romantic

American  
[roh-man-tik] / roʊˈmæn tɪk /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or of the nature of romance; characteristic or suggestive of the world of romance.

    a romantic adventure.

  2. not practical; unrealistic; fanciful.

    romantic ideas.

    Synonyms:
    fantastic, imaginative, wild, exaggerated, extravagant
    Antonyms:
    realistic, pragmatic, practical
  3. imbued with or dominated by idealism, a desire for adventure, chivalry, etc.

  4. characterized by a preoccupation with love or by the idealizing of love or one's beloved.

  5. displaying or expressing love or strong affection.

  6. ardent; passionate; fervent.

  7. Usually Romantic of, relating to, or characteristic of a style of literature and art that subordinates form to content, encourages freedom of treatment, emphasizes imagination, emotion, and introspection, and often celebrates nature, the ordinary person, and freedom of the spirit (classical ).

  8. of or relating to a musical style characteristic chiefly of the 19th century and marked by the free expression of imagination and emotion, virtuosic display, experimentation with form, and the adventurous development of orchestral and piano music and opera.

  9. imaginary, fictitious, or fabulous.

    Synonyms:
    unreal, improbable
    Antonyms:
    probable
  10. noting, of, or pertaining to the role of a suitor or lover in a play about love.

    the romantic lead.


noun

  1. a romantic person.

  2. a romanticist.

  3. romantics, romantic ideas, ways, etc.

romantic British  
/ rəʊˈmæntɪk /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, imbued with, or characterized by romance

  2. evoking or given to thoughts and feelings of love, esp idealized or sentimental love

    a romantic woman

    a romantic setting

  3. impractical, visionary, or idealistic

    a romantic scheme

  4. euphemistic imaginary or fictitious

    a romantic account of one's war service

  5. (often capital) of or relating to a movement in European art, music, and literature in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, characterized by an emphasis on feeling and content rather than order and form, on the sublime, supernatural, and exotic, and the free expression of the passions and individuality

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a person who is romantic, as in being idealistic, amorous, or soulful

  2. a person whose tastes in art, literature, etc, lie mainly in romanticism; romanticist

  3. (often capital) a poet, composer, etc, of the romantic period or whose main inspiration or interest is romanticism

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • antiromantic adjective
  • half-romantic adjective
  • half-romantically adverb
  • hyperromantic adjective
  • hyperromantically adverb
  • nonromantic adjective
  • nonromantically adverb
  • post-Romantic adjective
  • preromantic adjective
  • proromantic adjective
  • pseudoromantic adjective
  • pseudoromantically adverb
  • quasi-romantic adjective
  • quasi-romantically adverb
  • romantically adverb
  • romanticalness noun
  • semiromantic adjective
  • semiromantically adverb
  • superromantic adjective
  • superromantically adverb
  • ultraromantic adjective
  • unromantic adjective
  • unromantically adverb

Etymology

Origin of romantic

First recorded in 1650–60; from French romantique, derivative of romant romaunt; -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Merriam-Webster promotional copy makes a point to mention the inclusion of the TikTok slang “rizz,” whose noun form is defined as “romantic appeal or charm.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Under the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower, during a romantic walk on a tropical beach, or nestled in a quiet corner of your favourite restaurant?

From Barron's

Although I thought he was a great guy, I was in no emotional state to gauge romantic chemistry.

From Los Angeles Times

But then I’ve never understood escapism in the context of workplace comedy, romantic travails or contemporary political drama.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s you and Michael B. Jordan’s character of Smoke, and from that scene you thought the film was a romantic drama.

From Los Angeles Times