romanticize

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 Synonyms glamorize (also glamourize), glamour (up), glorify, idealizeRelated Words heroicize, heroize; euphemize, poeticize, soften, sweeten; adulate, canonize, deify, idolize; aggrandize, dignify, ennoble, enshrine, enthrone, magnifyNear Antonyms belittle, decry, denigrate, deprecate, disparage, minimize, put downAntonyms deglamorize