romantic

adjective ro·man·tic \ rō-ˈman-tik , rə- \

Definition of romantic

1 :consisting of or resembling a romance

2 :having no basis in fact :imaginary

3 :impractical in conception or plan :visionary

4 a :marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized

b often capitalized :of, relating to, or having the characteristics of romanticism

c :of or relating to music of the 19th century characterized by an emphasis on subjective emotional qualities and freedom of form; also :of or relating to a composer of this music

5 a :having an inclination for romance :responsive to the appeal of what is idealized, heroic, or adventurous

b :marked by expressions of love or affection

c :conducive to or suitable for lovemaking

6 :of, relating to, or constituting the part of the hero especially in a light comedy

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romantically

play \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See romantic defined for English-language learners

Examples of romantic in a Sentence

She had romantic feelings for him.
He had a romantic relationship with a coworker.
His brother was having romantic troubles at the time.
She won't discuss her romantic life with the press.
Why can't you be more romantic?
He has some romantic notions about life on a farm.
She had a lot of big romantic dreams of becoming an actress.
Beethoven was the first great Romantic composer.

Recent Examples of romantic from the Web

In Love, 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Playhouse in the Park, Eden Park. Oscar-winning film comes to life on stage in extravagant production that’s both wildly funny and irresistibly romantic.

— rasputin todd, Cincinnati.com, "Things to do this week: Aug. 28-Sept. 4," 28 Aug. 2017
Blue Ridge, Georgia For a romantic way to experience the eclipse, why not take in the natural phenomenon aboard a train?

— Southern Living, "The Total Solar Eclipse Is Coming! Let’s Party!," 17 Aug. 2017
Out of nowhere, Iggy runs down the beach and swoops Dean up in what will probably be the most romantic moment of the season.

— elizabeth logan, Glamour, "'Bachelor in Paradise' Season 4 Episode 1 Recap: Paradise Starts, Production Stops," 14 Aug. 2017
The power of petitionary prayer applies not only to romantic partners but to close friends as well.

— thomas burnett, idahostatesman, "Frustrated with your spouse? Prayer might help, researchers say," 11 Aug. 2017
Between The Goonies and the Best Picture-winning No Country, Brolin often played the bad guy—or, in a few cases, the romantic foil to the leading man.

— tyler coates, Esquire, "Sam Shepard First Told Josh Brolin About the Movie That Changed His Career," 9 Aug. 2017
Sweeten that romantic bond by treating them to a crunchy creole shrimp po'boy.

— catherine o’neill, Bon Appetit, "Your August Horoscopes: A Big Sandwich for Every Zodiac Sign," 1 Aug. 2017
At 61, the Jamaican reggae star has been lending his soulful R&B croon to the romantic lover’s rock movement since his first album in 1976.

— courtney devores, charlotteobserver, "8 buzzworthy concerts coming to Charlotte in the next week," 25 July 2017
In Jefferson County, Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine said when a prosecutor is involved in a romantic relationship, the case is reassigned to avoid a conflict.

— andrew wolfson, The Courier-Journal, "Sexual relationships between prosecutors and cops could derail Kentucky murder trials," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'romantic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of romantic

French romantique, from obsolete romant romance, from Old French romanz

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1650

See Words from the same year

romantic Synonyms

Synonyms

bizarro, fantastic (also fantastical), glamorous (also glamourous), marvelous (or marvellous), outlandish, exotic, strange

romantic

noun

Definition of romantic

1 :a romantic person, trait, or component

2 capitalized :a romantic writer, artist, or composer

See romantic defined for English-language learners

See romantic defined for kids

Examples of romantic in a Sentence

She married a real romantic who brings her roses every day.
Law school is no place for idealists and romantics.
Beethoven was the first great Romantic among composers.

Recent Examples of romantic from the Web

From rock ’n’ roll to teddy boys and rockers and mods and punks and discos heads and future heads and new romantics and ravers and casuals and gothic—

— noah johnson, GQ, "The World’s First All-Corduroy Brand Is Ready to Party—With Help From Disco Legend DJ Harvey," 24 Aug. 2017
Most of the existing bets have been for McGregor, often small amounts staked by romantics desperate to see a shock.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "One major decision is bothering Floyd Mayweather ahead of his fight against Conor McGregor," 15 Aug. 2017
The roots of this disdain for parenting lie in Rousseau and the romantics, who saw parents as a burden on childhood freedom and exploration.

— ben shapiro, National Review, "The Charlie Gard Story Exemplifies the Left’s War on Parents," 26 July 2017
And for history buffs, Anglophiles, or hopeless romantics who have $88,500 to spend, M.S. Rau also has a pair of cufflinks that belonged to the Duke of Windsor.

— bennett marcus, Town & Country, "A Rare Piece of Jewelry That Belonged to Wallis Simpson Goes Up for Auction," 19 July 2017
Cynics and romantics alike will find much in this production to cheer the heart in these politically fraught and feverish days.

— kerry reid, chicagotribune.com, "All the world's a lovely stage in First Folio's 'As You Like It'," 17 July 2017
For those editorial romantics who believe Fox Sports execs would be appalled by having hot talkers as the editorial face of the network, guess again.

— richard deitsch, SI.com, "Fox Sports not planning to tone down the noise after Jamie Horowitz's firing," 6 July 2017
Fast Romantics at the Miller Lite Oasis Festivals are incredible opportunities for bands to play for large crowds and find new fans.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Best and worst of Summerfest Day 3: Paul Simon, Trombone Shorty wow their fans," 1 July 2017
Romantics who see teambuilding as being about more than simply buying lots of very good players will never entirely warm to them.

— jonathan wilson, SI.com, "Cristiano Ronaldo's trophy-winning prowess a constant amid his personal evolution," 3 June 2017

First Known Use of romantic

1678

romantic Synonyms

Synonyms

Don Quixote, dreamer, fantast, idealizer, ideologue (also idealogue), idealist, romanticist, utopian, visionary

Antonyms

hardnose, pragmatist, realist

Related Words

emotionalist, sentimentalist; daydreamer, fantasizer, woolgatherer; Micawber, optimist, Pollyanna; do-gooder, reformer; perfectionist; doctrinaire, theorist, thinker

Near Antonyms

cynic, defeatist, pessimist; empiric, empiricist

ROMANTIC Defined for English Language Learners

romantic

adjective

Definition of romantic for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or involving love between two people
: making someone think of love : suitable for romance
: thinking about love and doing and saying things to show that you love someone

romantic

noun

Definition of romantic for English Language Learners

: a person who thinks a lot about love and does and says things that show strong feelings of love for someone
: someone who is not realistic or practical : someone who thinks that things are better or more exciting than they really are
Romantic : a writer, musician, or artist whose work stresses emotion and imagination : a writer, musician, or artist of Romanticism