Meaning & use
romantic
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Connected with love and deep affection, or likely to create a loving mood.
Grammar: Fits before a noun or after be: a romantic dinner; the evening was romantic.
Patterns
- a romantic dinner
- romantic about something
They shared a romantic dinner by candlelight.
He planned a romantic weekend for their anniversary.
The film is a romantic comedy about two neighbors.
adjectivecomparable
Imaginative and idealistic, seeing things as more beautiful or exciting than they really are.
Grammar: Often in a critical sense: a romantic view of the past.
Patterns
- a romantic view of something
- romantic notions
She has a romantic idea of life on a farm.
His romantic notions of travel faded after the third delayed flight.
It is a romantic story of adventure on the seas.
nouncountable
A person who is sentimental about love or who sees life in an idealistic way.
Grammar: Often describes character: a hopeless romantic.
Patterns
- a hopeless romantic
My brother is a hopeless romantic who writes poems.
Only a romantic would believe the plan could work.
adjectivebefore a nounspecialist
Relating to Romanticism, the arts movement that valued emotion and nature, usually written with a capital R.
Grammar: Used in literature, art and music: Romantic poetry.
Patterns
- Romantic poetry
Wordsworth is a major Romantic poet.
The concert featured Romantic piano music.
Word forms
| comparative | more romantic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most romantic |
| plural | romantics |
Common combinations
- romantic dinner
- He booked a romantic dinner at a quiet restaurant.
- romantic comedy
- We watched a romantic comedy on Friday night.
- romantic gesture
- The flowers were a sweet romantic gesture.
- hopeless romantic
- She is a hopeless romantic who still loves handwritten letters.
- romantic relationship
- They kept their romantic relationship private.
- romantic notion
- It is a romantic notion that artists must suffer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- loving
- Loving describes affection in any relationship, while romantic is about courtship and passion.
- sentimental
- Sentimental stresses tender memories and feelings and can sound overdone, but romantic focuses on love or idealism.
- idealistic
- Idealistic means believing in perfect principles, whereas romantic adds feeling and imagination.
- amorous
- Amorous is formal and describes love or desire directly, which romantic does more gently.
Opposites
Word family
- romance noun
- a love affair or a love story
- romantically adverb
- in a way connected with love
- romanticism noun
- an artistic movement or romantic attitude
- romanticize verb
- to treat as better or more exciting than reality
- unromantic adjective
- lacking romance
Commonly confused: romantic or Roman?
romantic vs Roman
Roman means relating to Rome, and although romantic comes from the same root, it has no link with ancient Rome.
Practice
He had a ___ view of sailing, imagining only sunsets and never seasickness.
Choose one answer.
A romantic view is idealized and sees only the beautiful side. A practical or cautious view would take the difficulties into account.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “romantic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.