Search

of, relating to, or of the nature of ; characteristic or suggestive of the world of :
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 ).
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.
a romantic person.
a .
romantics, romantic ideas, ways, etc.
Contemporary Examples

What do you think the state of the romantic comedy is these days?
Rob Reiner on the State of Romcoms, ‘The Princess Bride’s’ Alternate Ending, and the Red Viper Marlow Stern July 26, 2014

One is time in romantic relationships, and one is time in family.
Coffee Talk with Ethan Hawke: On ‘Boyhood,’ Jennifer Lawrence, and Bill Clinton’s Urinal Exchange Marlow Stern December 26, 2014

William is on duty flying rescue ‘copters in Anglesea so there is to be no romantic dinner tonight.
Kate’s Rapidly Expanding Belly Takes Center Stage On Kid’s Hospice Visit Tom Sykes April 28, 2013

As long as we’re on the topic of misconceptions, can we retire the tired comparison of romantic poets to ’60s rock stars?
4 Smart Summer Reads Alexander Nazaryan August 6, 2010

Where the love stories are romantic but real, idyllic yet flawed.
About a Boy’s Jason Katims Is the King of Cry TV Kevin Fallon February 18, 2014

Historical Examples

Every neighbourhood has its stories, its legends, and romantic histories.
English Villages P. H. Ditchfield

“That’s what your romantic boy out of a book has done,” said Charles Merchant.
Way of the Lawless Max Brand

She had told him, as she might have told any decent soul, her sad and romantic story.
The Rough Road William John Locke

This was not altogether because of her mother’s romantic past, but because of her own manners and clothes.
Quaint Courtships Various

Which is a correct verdict, as to the romantic appetites and it.
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Volume IV. (of XXI.) Thomas Carlyle

adjective
of, relating to, imbued with, or characterized by romance
evoking or given to thoughts and feelings of love, esp idealized or sentimental love: a romantic woman, a romantic setting
impractical, visionary, or idealistic: a romantic scheme
(often euphemistic) imaginary or fictitious: a 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
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.
n.

“an adherent of romantic virtues in literature,” 1827, from romantic (adj.).