romanticize

verb

ro·​man·​ti·​cize rō-ˈman-tə-ˌsīz 

rə-

romanticized; romanticizing

transitive verb

: to make romantic : treat as idealized or heroic

romanticize the past

intransitive verb

1

: to hold romantic ideas

2

: to present details, incidents, or people in a romantic way

romanticization

rō-ˌman-tə-sə-ˈzā-shən 

rə-

noun

Synonyms

• idealize
• glamourize
• glamorize

Examples of romanticize in a Sentence

He has romanticized notions of army life.

a romanticized view of politics

We were romanticizing about the past.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bad Bunny’s messaging romanticizes a narrative of cultural displacement: that more Americans moving to the island means fewer Puerto Ricans can stay. —George Laws Garcia, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2025

Black townspeople and visitors to Natchez cast a warier eye on the spectacle of romanticizing this time in American history. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025

This transit is about romanticizing your wellness rituals, not militarizing them. —Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 3 Aug. 2025

That sketch served as the basis for a watercolor, which revealed Turner’s tendency to romanticize his subjects. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for romanticize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Kids Definition

romanticize

verb

ro·​man·​ti·​cize rō-ˈmant-ə-ˌsīz 

romanticized; romanticizing

1

: to make romantic : show in a romantic way

2

: to have romantic ideas

romanticization

-ˌmant-ə-sə-ˈzā-shən 

noun