romanticize
/rə'mæntisaiz/
Definition
Verb (transitive):
- To describe, portray, or think about something in an idealized, unrealistic, or sentimental way, often by exaggerating its positive qualities and ignoring its negative or mundane aspects.
- To make something seem more exciting, mysterious, or glamorous than it really is.
Verb (intransitive):
- To indulge in romantic thoughts, feelings, or attitudes; to view the world or a situation through a romantic lens.
Examples of Usage
Transitive verb:
- Many people romanticize the past, forgetting the hardships people faced.
- The movie romanticizes the life of a pirate, ignoring the violence and disease.
- Don't romanticize this difficult job; it involves long hours and hard physical labor.
Intransitive verb:
- She tends to romanticize about living in a cottage by the sea.
- He spent the evening romanticizing about what could have been.
Advanced Usage
- "to romanticize over/about something": To think or daydream about something in an idealized way.
- He often romanticizes about becoming a famous artist.
Variants and Related Words
Romanticization (noun): The act or process of romanticizing.
- The romanticization of rural life is a common theme in her poetry.
Romantic (adjective): Characterized by or suggestive of an idealized view of reality.
- She has a romantic notion of how relationships work.
Synonyms
- Idealize: To regard or represent as perfect or better than in reality.
- Glorify: To describe or represent as admirable, especially unjustifiably.
- Sentimentalize: To treat, consider, or present in a sentimental way.
Related Phrasal Verbs / Constructions
- Romanticize away: To dismiss or obscure the negative aspects of something by viewing it romantically. (Often used with problems or difficulties).
- You can't just romanticize away the challenges of starting a new business.
Related Idioms
- To see/ view through rose-colored glasses: To see only the pleasant parts of a situation and not notice the things that are unpleasant. (This idiom is conceptually similar to romanticizing).
- He views his childhood through rose-colored glasses, forgetting all the arguments.
Verb
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act in a romantic way
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make romantic in style
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The designer romanticized the little black dress
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interpret romantically
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Don't romanticize this uninteresting and hard work!
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