romanticize

[ roh-man-tuh-sahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, ro·man·ti·cized, ro·man·ti·ciz·ing.

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

   Many people romanticize the role of an editor.

verb (used without object)

, ro·man·ti·cized, ro·man·ti·ciz·ing.

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

Derived Forms

• roˌmanticiˈzation, noun

Other Words From

• ro·manti·ci·zation noun
• over·ro·manti·cize verb overromanticized overromanticizing
• unro·manti·cized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of romanticize¹

First recorded in 1810–20; romantic + -ize

Example Sentences

I still romanticize the idea of living here — looking up every day and seeing the Hollywood sign.

From Los Angeles Times

Other times, it's romanticized as a noble sacrifice on the altar of maternal duty.

From Salon

The fluffy dresses and elaborate dances are about romanticizing a dehumanizing view of women, in which they are male property, whose only value is in being a sex object.

From Salon

It's easy to romanticize the lives we see on TV.

From Salon

She veers off the prescribed material to inject a sense of rosy fantasy into her lessons, including romanticizing Spain’s fascist leader Francisco Franco along with Italy’s dictator Benito Mussolini.

From Salon

Related Words

• glamorize
• idealize
• sentimentalize