romantic means 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. It carries an Arena rating of 1380, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, romantic ranks #2,392 of 17,052 for Most Storied Words, #2,907 of 17,052 for Most Malleable Words, #3,446 of 17,052 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #6,863 of 17,052 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
romantic is pronounced /ɹə(ʊ)ˈmæntɪk/.
Why “romantic” is a great word
Pertaining to or characteristic of the literary romance, an artistic mode that emphasizes the mythic, the heroic, and a transcendent idealism over mundane reality. From French romantique ('pertaining to romance'), from romant ('a tale of chivalry, romance'), from Old French romanz ('vernacular speech, a story in the vernacular'), from Vulgar Latin *romanice ('in the Roman manner, in Latin'), from Latin Romanicus ('Roman'), first attested in English c. 1650s. Unlike 'pragmatic,' which stakes its claim on the solid ground of practical outcome, or 'unromantic,' which admits to a prosaic flatness of spirit, 'romantic' is built from a longing for the extraordinary. It is the lone figure on a windswept crag, the ruin swallowed by ivy, the knight errant who dies for an unmet lady's honor—a conviction that the world we have inherited must be reimagined until it matches the world we feel we deserve.
adj
- 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).e.g.“Mary sighed, knowing her ideals were far too romantic to work in reality.”
- 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.e.g.“But here is an artist. He desires to paint you the dreamiest, shadiest, quietest, most enchanting bit of romantic landscape in all the valley of the Saco.”
- Pertaining to an idealised form of love (originally, as might be felt by the heroes of a romance); conducive to romance; loving, affectionate.e.g.“Their kiss started casually, but it slowly turned romantic.”
- Experiencing romantic attraction.
- Of or pertaining to Romance.
- Of or pertaining to Romanticism.
- Synonym of Romance.
noun
- 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).e.g.“Oh, flowers! You're such a romantic.”
- An artist involved in the Romantic movement.
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