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

What was true about farms is true about the factories and mills that Americans romanticize to this day. —John Tamny, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

The social norms, peer pressure, romanticizing of alcohol as a balm in times of crisis and celebration, all swirls into a complex challenge for public health leaders. —Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025

However, some have concerns that the legislation overly romanticizes Medicare, which has widespread issues, still, according to Chris Fong, the CEO of Smile Insurance and a Medicare specialist. —Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025

Nothing wrong with romanticizing your life, Scorpio. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 May 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