romantic
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or of the nature of romance; characteristic or suggestive of the world of romance.
a romantic adventure.
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not practical; unrealistic; fanciful.
romantic ideas.
- Synonyms:
- fantastic, imaginative, wild, exaggerated, extravagant
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imbued with or dominated by idealism, a desire for adventure, chivalry, etc.
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characterized by a preoccupation with love or by the idealizing of love or one's beloved.
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displaying or expressing love or strong affection.
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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 ).
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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.
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imaginary, fictitious, or fabulous.
- Synonyms:
- unreal, improbable
- Antonyms:
- probable
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noting, of, or pertaining to the role of a suitor or lover in a play about love.
the romantic lead.
noun
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a romantic person.
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a romanticist.
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romantics, romantic ideas, ways, etc.
adjective
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of, relating to, imbued with, or characterized by romance
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evoking or given to thoughts and feelings of love, esp idealized or sentimental love
a romantic woman
a romantic setting
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impractical, visionary, or idealistic
a romantic scheme
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euphemistic imaginary or fictitious
a romantic account of one's war service
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(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
noun
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a person who is romantic, as in being idealistic, amorous, or soulful
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a person whose tastes in art, literature, etc, lie mainly in romanticism; romanticist
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(often capital) a poet, composer, etc, of the romantic period or whose main inspiration or interest is romanticism
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
Explanation
If something is romantic, it isn't very practical, like the librarian's romantic dream of convincing every person in town to read a book a week for life — a great idea that probably isn't possible. To be romantic about something can mean that you overlook its flaws and shortcomings. If your romantic ideal is growing all of your own food on a secluded farm, you are probably ignoring the tremendous amount of hard work it will require. Or, if you are romantic about love, you believe the perfect person is out there and in finding one another, all the problems and difficulties of life will melt away.
Vocabulary lists containing romantic
February Vocabulary Words
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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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.
With a voice that moved easily from romantic ballads to high-energy numbers, she became the go-to singer for composers across genres and generations.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
Analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research called it a "fair opening" for the original romantic comedy, which was shot on Italy's Amalfi coast.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
Consistency and proximity, especially in the professional context of teamwork, collaboration and problem-solving, can make a work connection feel like it has more potential for romantic intimacy, depth and longevity than it actually does.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
In “Autumn Meeting,” a Budapest seductress beguiles an out-of-work jockey with romantic tales of love spurned.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
The two spies grabbed each other in a romantic embrace, hiding their faces.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
