Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
romantic [roh-man-tik] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin adjective
- of, relating to, or of the nature of romance; characteristic or suggestive of the world of romance: a romantic adventure.
- fanciful; impractical; unrealistic: romantic ideas.
- imbued with or dominated by idealism, a desire for adventure, chivalry, etc.
- characterized by a preoccupation with love or by the idealizing of love or one’s beloved.
- displaying or expressing love or strong affection.
- ardent; passionate; fervent.
- (usually initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of a style of literature and art that subordinates form to content, encourages freedom of treatment, emphasizes imagination, emotion, and introspection, and often celebrates nature, the ordinary person, and freedom of the spirit (contrasted with classical).
- of or relating to a musical style characteristic chiefly of the 19th century and marked by the free expression of imagination and emotion, virtuosic display, experimentation with form, and the adventurous development of orchestral and piano music and opera.
- imaginary, fictitious, or fabulous.
- noting, of, or pertaining to the role of a suitor or lover in a play about love: the romantic lead.
noun
- a romantic person.
- a romanticist.
- romantics, romantic ideas, ways, etc.
Origin of romantic 1650–60; French romantique, derivative of romant romaunt; see -ic Related formsro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbro·man·ti·cal·ness, nounan·ti·ro·man·tic, adjective, nounhalf-ro·man·tic, adjectivehalf-ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbhy·per·ro·man·tic, adjectivehy·per·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·ro·man·tic, adjective, nounnon·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbpost-Ro·man·tic, adjectivepre·ro·man·tic, adjectivepro·ro·man·tic, adjectivepseu·do·ro·man·tic, adjectivepseu·do·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbqua·si-ro·man·tic, adjectivequa·si-ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbsem·i·ro·man·tic, adjectivesem·i·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbsu·per·ro·man·tic, adjectivesu·per·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbul·tra·ro·man·tic, adjectiveun·ro·man·tic, adjectiveun·ro·man·ti·cal·ly, adverbSynonyms for romantic 2. extravagant, exaggerated, wild, imaginative, fantastic. 9. improbable, unreal.Antonyms for romantic 2. practical, realistic. 9. probable. Examples from the Web for romantically Contemporary Examples of romantically
He makes it clear that he feared becoming involved with Joplin romantically.
William O’Connor
November 8, 2014
For the romantically—and sexually—curious teen set, Seventeen magazine claims to have all the answers.
17 Terrible Pieces of Advice from ‘Seventeen’s’ Ultimate Guide to Guys
Erin Cunningham
January 30, 2014
The lower apartment was rented by four Italian students, including one young man who was romantically linked to Kercher.
The Perugia House Where Meredith Kercher Was Murdered Is for Sale
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 3, 2014
He says he shouted at one: “You look like a princess walking so nicely and romantically.”
Why People Throw Shoes in Afghanistan
Ron Moreau & Sami Yousafzai
August 18, 2013
For the first time, Kennedy fell wildly, romantically in love.
New Questions Arise About Mary Richardson Kennedy’s Suicide
Nancy Collins
May 16, 2013
Historical Examples of romantically
He was genial and jocose, sunburnt and romantically allusive.
Henry James
I hope you have spent them romantically, fingering a lute or something.
Michael Strange
It is a good thing for a boy of nineteen to be romantically in love with Joanna.
William J. Locke
He must have been, she romantically reflected, a handsome figure of a man.
Charles Neville Buck
Rich and beautiful countries are romantically pictured to us.
James P. Boyd
British Dictionary definitions for romantically romantic adjective
- of, relating to, imbued with, or characterized by romance
- evoking or given to thoughts and feelings of love, esp idealized or sentimental lovea romantic woman; a romantic setting
- impractical, visionary, or idealistica romantic scheme
- often euphemistic imaginary or fictitiousa romantic account of one’s war service
- (often capital) of or relating to a movement in European art, music, and literature in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, characterized by an emphasis on feeling and content rather than order and form, on the sublime, supernatural, and exotic, and the free expression of the passions and individuality
noun
- a person who is romantic, as in being idealistic, amorous, or soulful
- a person whose tastes in art, literature, etc, lie mainly in romanticism; romanticist
- (often capital) a poet, composer, etc, of the romantic period or whose main inspiration or interest is romanticism
Derived Formsromantically, adverbWord Origin for romantic C17: from French romantique, from obsolete romant story, romance, from Old French romans romance Word Origin and History for romantically romantic adj.
1650s, “of the nature of a literary romance,” from French romantique, from Middle French romant “a romance,” oblique case of Old French romanz “verse narrative” (see romance (n.)).
As a literary style, opposed to classical since before 1812; in music, from 1885. Meaning “characteristic of an ideal love affair” (such as usually formed the subject of literary romances) is from 1660s. Meaning “having a love affair as a theme” is from 1960. Related: Romantical (1670s); romantically. Cf. romanticism.
romantic n.
“an adherent of romantic virtues in literature,” 1827, from romantic (adj.).