romanticize

especially British, ro·man·ti·cise

[roh-man-tuh-sahyz]

verb (used with object)

romanticized, romanticizing 

1. to make romantic; invest with a romantic character.

   Many people romanticize the role of an editor.

verb (used without object)

romanticized, romanticizing 

1. to hold romantic notions, ideas, etc.

romanticize

/ rəʊˈmæntɪˌsaɪz /

verb

1. (intr) to think or act in a romantic way

2. (tr) to interpret according to romantic precepts

3. to make or become romantic, as in style

Other Word Forms

• romanticization noun
• overromanticize verb
• unromanticized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of romanticize¹

First recorded in 1810–20; romantic + -ize

Example Sentences

In an interview, he said: “It’s easy to romanticize the golden days.”

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The broken promises of utopia are beyond my generation, allowing us to romanticize the security socialism pledges but can’t provide.

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As Ms. Low says, many women need to “stop romanticizing work” and “remember that your employer will never love you back.”

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The author tends to romanticize the game, even at its most brutal.

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The comedy premiered in 2015 on the CW and is about a character so desperate to feel happy that she romanticizes a relationship she had as a teenager at summer camp.

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Related Words

• glamorize 
• idealize 
• sentimentalize