romantic
Meanings
- Of a work of literature, a writer etc.: being like or having the characteristics of a romance, or poetic tale of a mythic or quasi-historical time; fantastic.
- Fictitious, imaginary.
- Fantastic, unrealistic (of an idea etc.); fanciful, sentimental, impractical (of a person).
- Having the qualities of romance (in the sense of something appealing deeply to the imagination); invoking on a powerfully sentimental idea of life; evocative, atmospheric.
- Pertaining to an idealised form of love (originally, as might be felt by the heroes of a romance); conducive to romance; loving, affectionate.
- Alternative letter-case form of Romantic
- Experiencing romantic attraction.
- A person with romantic character (a character like those of the knights in a mythic romance).
- A person who is behaving romantically (in a manner befitting someone who feels an idealized form of love).
- Of or pertaining to Romance.
- Of or pertaining to Romanticism.
- Synonym of Romance.
- An artist involved in the Romantic movement.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Etymology tree Vulgar Latin Rōma Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Vulgar Latin -nus Vulgar Latin -ānus Vulgar Latin rōmānus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Vulgar Latin -icus Vulgar Latin rōmānicus Vulgar Latin -ē Vulgar Latin rōmānicē Old French romanz Old French romauntder. English romant ▲ Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English romantic From romant + -ic, or borrowed from Late Latin romanticus (“(of a poem) having qualities of a romance”). Compare French romantique, which is borrowed from English. Also compare Spanish romántico, Portuguese romântico, Italian romantico, Dutch romantisch, and German romantisch and Romantiker (“a composer of Romantic music”), all of which are borrowed from English or French.