as in to idealize
to represent or think of as better than reality would warrant
he romanticized what life in a small town would be like, only to be later disappointed when reality intruded
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Recent Examples of romanticize
According to the lawsuit, the chatbot provided detailed instructions, romanticized suicide methods, and discouraged the teen from seeking help from his family while OpenAI's system tracked 377 messages flagged for self-harm content without intervening.
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ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025
By removing color, the focus shifts to texture, light, gesture, and gaze — emphasizing the nuances of connection and the multiplicity of what love can look like beyond normative, romanticized ideals.
—Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
Even the preceding work of distinguished white male photographers like William Henry Jackson and Lee Moorhouse participated in this romanticizing project.
—Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
But colleges have never mimicked the real world, which is why so many people romanticize them.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for romanticize
ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025
By removing color, the focus shifts to texture, light, gesture, and gaze — emphasizing the nuances of connection and the multiplicity of what love can look like beyond normative, romanticized ideals.
—Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
Even the preceding work of distinguished white male photographers like William Henry Jackson and Lee Moorhouse participated in this romanticizing project.
—Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
But colleges have never mimicked the real world, which is why so many people romanticize them.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for romanticize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for romanticize
Verb
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There’s a fine line between being crystal clear and idealizing a situation.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
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This clearly suggests that idealized online self-presentation can inflate social impressions but may create disappointment when offline reality does not match expectations.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Addressing Consumer Pain Points The startup world glamorizes disruption and wild ideas for the sake of massive capital gains opportunities.—
Brandon Aversano,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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But readers have also criticized Hoover for the book and movie’s portrayal of abuse, which some argued glamorized domestic violence.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Romanticize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/romanticize. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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