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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of romanticize The new book suggests that human beings have always been declinist, underselling the riches of the present and romanticizing what earlier generations merely made do with. Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025 Tribeny Rai never intended to romanticize her homeland. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Sep. 2025 According to the filing, the system provided noose-tying instructions, romanticized suicide, and discouraged seeking help. Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025 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. ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for romanticize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for romanticize
Verb
  • There’s no wishful thinking that our society will stop idealizing appearance, but framing and intrinsic motivation matter.
    Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 8 Oct. 2025
  • There’s a fine line between being crystal clear and idealizing a situation.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Safdie makes no effort to glamorize the Kerr’s work, or to insist that there is actually an elegance to what MMA fighters do.
    Richard Lawson, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
  • 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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Cite this Entry

“Romanticize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/romanticize. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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