as in to idealize
to represent or think of as better than reality would warrant
he romanticized what life in a small town would be like, only to be later disappointed when reality intruded
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Recent Examples of romanticize
In fact, he's had to hop on social media a few times in recent years to remind viewers that not romanticizing Joe is the whole point.
—
Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025
The hero of a bildungsroman often begins as an outcast of some kind, a condition that is romanticized even as it must be overcome.
—Anahid Nersessian, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2025
Our pop culture has been so stuck in a mode of romanticizing pioneers and settlers that American Primeval, with its insistence on diving into Mormon history and rejecting the idea that violence in the name of gaining power is justified, feels like a balancing of the scales.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Photo: Laure Joliet Naturally, romanticizing a cozy, coastal life doesn’t have to stop at your closet.
—Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for romanticize
Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025
The hero of a bildungsroman often begins as an outcast of some kind, a condition that is romanticized even as it must be overcome.
—Anahid Nersessian, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2025
Our pop culture has been so stuck in a mode of romanticizing pioneers and settlers that American Primeval, with its insistence on diving into Mormon history and rejecting the idea that violence in the name of gaining power is justified, feels like a balancing of the scales.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Photo: Laure Joliet Naturally, romanticizing a cozy, coastal life doesn’t have to stop at your closet.
—Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for romanticize
Cite this Entry
“Romanticize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/romanticize. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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