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

Though fictional, the series romanticizes a not-so-distant past in which creatives wowed enterprise organizations with the fruits of their fertile imaginations. —Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

Wes has romanticized the literary arts for almost his whole career. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025

An everything shower is a social media trend that romanticizes showers as a self-care extravaganza that stands out against your typical rinse-and-repeat. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 May 2025

Both the Lolita book and film have been heavily criticized for decades for romanticizing pedophilia. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 17 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