Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Belonging to or characteristic of Romanticism or the Romantic Movement in the arts: Describing something that embodies the qualities, styles, or spirit of the 18th and 19th-century artistic, literary, and intellectual movement known as Romanticism.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The composer's later works are considered highly romanticistic, emphasizing emotion and individualism.
  • Her paintings, with their focus on dramatic landscapes and sublime nature, are clearly romanticistic in style.
  • The critic described the novel as romanticistic due to its idealization of the past and its passionate heroes.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in academic or critical discourse to classify art, literature, or music that consciously adopts or is strongly influenced by Romantic-era conventions, even if created outside the historical period.
  • Although written in the 20th century, the symphony's structure and themes are deliberately romanticistic.

Variants and Related Words

• Romanticism (n): The broad cultural movement from the late 18th to mid-19th century that emphasized emotion, nature, individualism, and the heroic.
• Romantic (adj): Pertaining to Romanticism; also commonly used to describe things related to love or idealized beauty.
• Romantically (adv): In a manner characteristic of Romanticism.

Synonyms

• Romantic (in the artistic sense)
• Romantic-era
• Romantically-inclined

Notes on Different Meanings

• Romanticistic is specific to the artistic movement. It should not be confused with the more general adjective "romantic," which can describe feelings of love, affection, or an idealized, picturesque quality unrelated to the historical art movement.
  • Compare: "a romanticistic poem by Wordsworth" (characteristic of the Romantic Movement) vs. "a romantic candlelit dinner" (conducive to love).

Adjective

1. belonging to or characteristic of Romanticism or the Romantic Movement in the arts
   • romantic poetry