romantic

[ roh-man-tik ]

/ roʊˈmæn tɪk /

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See synonyms for: romantic / romantics on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or of the nature of romance; characteristic or suggestive of the world of romance: a romantic adventure.

not practical; unrealistic; fanciful: romantic ideas.

imbued with or dominated by idealism, a desire for adventure, chivalry, etc.

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

displaying or expressing love or strong affection.

ardent; passionate; fervent.

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 (contrasted with classical).

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.

imaginary, fictitious, or fabulous.

noting, of, or pertaining to the role of a suitor or lover in a play about love: the romantic lead.

noun

a romantic person.

a romanticist.

romantics, romantic ideas, ways, etc.

OTHER WORDS FOR romantic

2 extravagant, exaggerated, wild, imaginative, fantastic.

9 improbable, unreal.

See synonyms for romantic on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR romantic

2 practical, pragmatic, realistic.

9 probable.

See antonyms for romantic on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of romantic

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

OTHER WORDS FROM romantic

ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbro·man·ti·cal·ness, nounan·ti·ro·man·tic, adjective, nounhalf-ro·man·tic, adjective

half-ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbhy·per·ro·man·tic, adjectivehy·per·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·ro·man·tic, adjective, nounnon·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbpost-Ro·man·tic, adjectivepre·ro·man·tic, adjectivepro·ro·man·tic, adjectivepseu·do·ro·man·tic, adjectivepseu·do·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbqua·si-ro·man·tic, adjectivequa·si-ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbsem·i·ro·man·tic, adjectivesem·i·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbsu·per·ro·man·tic, adjectivesu·per·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbul·tra·ro·man·tic, adjectiveun·ro·man·tic, adjectiveun·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use romantic in a sentence

Because despite what she thought at 16, their relationship was not romantic.
The mind-boggling end of Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise, explained|Constance Grady|November 20, 2020|Vox
Hulu, however, is putting LGBTQ love in the spotlight with “Happiest Season,” a romantic comedy from director Clea Duvall, who also co-wrote with Mary Holland.
Hallmark, Lifetime, others embrace LGBTQ holiday romance|John Paul King|November 15, 2020|Washington Blade
She said it has been hard to see the event described in public as “a romantic encounter” that somehow went wrong.
Alaska’s “Him Too” Moment: When Politicians and Allies Come With Accusations of Their Own|by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News and Greg Kim, KYUK|October 23, 2020|ProPublica
So, yeah, I haven’t really had any trouble with romantic relationships.
How Making a Film Led Isabel Sandoval to Come Out as Trans|Eugene Robinson|October 20, 2020|Ozy

This episode shows us Rory facing romantic rejection for the first time in the entire course of the show, at the beginning of the only season in which she doesn’t have two boys fighting over her at one point or another.
Every episode of Gilmore Girls, ranked|Constance Grady|October 6, 2020|Vox
He makes it clear that he feared becoming involved with Joplin romantically.
Janis Joplin’s Kozmic Blues|William O’Connor|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At first, Rachel resists getting romantically involved with Don, and insists that she has no need for a married man in her life.
Every Woman Don Draper’s Hooked Up With on ‘Mad Men’|Amy Zimmerman|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For the romantically—and sexually—curious teen set, Seventeen magazine claims to have all the answers.
17 Terrible Pieces of Advice from ‘Seventeen’s’ Ultimate Guide to Guys|Erin Cunningham|January 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Harry was dating Cressida then and she has made no claims of being romantically linked to Harry.
New Set Of Harry Party Photos Hit Tumblr|Tom Sykes|January 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The lower apartment was rented by four Italian students, including one young man who was romantically linked to Kercher.
The Perugia House Where Meredith Kercher Was Murdered Is for Sale|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You love her, your beautiful Finnish orphan brought up in France and romantically met in London, with the adorable name?
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
The monotony of our journey was rather romantically interrupted by our straying for a short distance from the right road.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Mauves, which was our first stage, is most romantically situated on a hill, which forms one of the banks of the Loire.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
The road was most romantically recluse, and so serpentine as never to be visible beyond an hundred yards.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
He was genial and jocose, sunburnt and romantically allusive.
The Tragic Muse|Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for romantic

romantic

/ (rəʊˈmæntɪk) /

adjective

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

evoking or given to thoughts and feelings of love, esp idealized or sentimental lovea romantic woman; a romantic setting

impractical, visionary, or idealistica romantic scheme

often euphemistic imaginary or fictitiousa romantic account of one's war service

(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

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

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

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

Derived forms of romantic

romantically, adverb

Word Origin for romantic

C17: from French romantique, from obsolete romant story, romance, from Old French romans romance

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

romantic

OTHER WORDS FOR romantic

OPPOSITES FOR romantic

Origin of romantic

OTHER WORDS FROM romantic

Words related to romantic

How to use romantic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for romantic

Derived forms of romantic

Word Origin for romantic