romanticize

American  

[roh-man-tuh-sahyz] / roʊˈmæn təˌsaɪz /

especially British, romanticise

verb (used with object)

romanticized, romanticizing

1. to make romantic; invest with a romantic character.

   Many people romanticize the role of an editor.

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verb (used without object)

romanticized, romanticizing

1. to hold romantic notions, ideas, etc.

romanticize British  

/ rəʊˈmæntɪˌsaɪz /

verb

1. (intr) to think or act in a romantic way

2. (tr) to interpret according to romantic precepts

3. to make or become romantic, as in style

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Other Word Forms

• overromanticize verb
• romanticization noun
• unromanticized adjective

Etymology

Origin of romanticize

First recorded in 1810–20; romantic + -ize

Example Sentences

"It's fascinating that something hundreds of years old could so closely match what is around today and contrast so much with what people romanticize the past landscape to be."

From Science Daily • Feb. 1, 2026

Through the sepia filter of today, it can be easy to romanticize this tale — a lesbian champion of the arts making the world safe for Modernism.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025

In an interview, he said: “It’s easy to romanticize the golden days.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025

The "can't pay the mortgage" meme is just the latest in a series of social media trends that romanticize female submission to men.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2024

It is important to keep in mind, though, that many rappers and hip-hop artists do not aim to glorify or romanticize gangsta life or culture.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• glamorize
• idealize
• sentimentalize