romantic

English

Alternative forms

• romantick (obsolete)

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɹəʊˈmæntɪk/, /ɹə-/
• (General American) enPR: rō-mănʹ(t)ĭk, IPA^(key): /ɹoʊˈmæn(t)ɪk/, , , , ,

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æntɪk

Adjective

romantic (comparative more romantic, superlative most romantic)

1. (chiefly historical) 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.
2. (obsolete) Fictitious, imaginary.
3. Fantastic, unrealistic (of an idea etc.); fanciful, sentimental, impractical (of a person).

   Mary sighed, knowing her ideals were far too romantic to work in reality.

   • 1993 May 16, “Return to New York”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 3, Episode 6:

     R. Jeeves: In my experience, ladies who spell Gladys with a W are seldom noted for their reliability, sir. It gives them romantic notions.
     B.W. Wooster: With a W, Jeeves? No, no, no, no. You spell it with a G.
     R. Jeeves: If I might draw your attention to the signature on the portrait, sir.
     B.W. Wooster: Good Lord! G-W?
     R. Jeeves: I blame Alfred Lord Tennyson and his Idylls of the King. It also accounts for Kathryn, Ysabel, and Ethyl, all spelt with a Y, but Gwladys is a particularly virulent form, sir.

4. 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.
   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 1, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

     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.

   • 1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:

     Somehow she wasn't a real sister, but that only made her the more romantic.

   • 2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 71:

     Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.

5. Pertaining to an idealised form of love (originally, as might be felt by the heroes of a romance); conducive to romance; loving, affectionate.

   Antonyms: platonic, nonsexual

   Their kiss started casually, but it slowly turned romantic.

6. Alternative form of Romantic
7. Experiencing romantic attraction.

   Synonyms: allo (informal), alloromantic

   Antonym: aromantic

   • 2010, Kristin S. Scherrer, “Asexual Relationships: What Does Asexuality Have to Do with Polyamory?”, in Meg Barker, Darren Langdridge, editors, Understanding Non-Monogamies, New York, N.Y., London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 154:

     Elsewhere, I describe that, in addition to an asexual identity, another salient identity for asexual individuals may be a romantic or aromantic identity, which designates an interest (or lack thereof) in monogamous, intimate relationships (Scherrer, 2008).

   • 2014, Karli June Cerankowski, Megan Milks, “Introduction: Why Asexuality? Why Now?”, in Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives (Routledge Research in Gender and Society), New York, N.Y., London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 2:

     What is relatively “new” is the formation of communities around the common language of asexuality as it is understood today—communities in which new categories exist around the concept of asexuality or “being ace,” where people can discuss romantic or aromantic orientations in relation to or apart from sexual desires or non-desires.

   • 2019, Julie Xuemei Hu, Shondrah Tarrezz Nash, “Sexuality and Sexual Relationships throughout Life”, in Marriage and the Family: Mirror of a Diverse Global Society, Routledge, →ISBN:

     Grayromantic asexual people are between romantic and aromantic and less likely to experience romantic attraction compared to most people.

Antonyms

• nonromantic, unromantic, antiromantic, aromantic

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

romantic (plural romantics)

1. A person with romantic character (a character like those of the knights in a mythic romance).
2. A person who is behaving romantically (in a manner befitting someone who feels an idealized form of love).

   Oh, flowers! You're such a romantic.

Derived terms

• hopeless romantic

Descendants

• → French: romantique
• → Italian: romantico

Translations

References

Further reading

• "romantic" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 274.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French romantique.

Adjective

romantic m or n (feminine singular romantică, masculine plural romantici, feminine and neuter plural romantice)

1. romantic

Declension