romance

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a story, book, or movie that focuses on a love relationship.

n. a genre of fiction or a specific work centered on an idealized love relationship.

“She usually reads a historical romance while she is on the train.”

“Critics argued that the novel transcended the tropes of the typical mass-market romance by addressing complex social themes.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. a feeling of excitement, mystery, and adventure.

n. a quality of mystery, excitement, or remote charm that appeals to the imagination.

“The romance of traveling by steam train is lost in the modern world.”

“He was drawn to the romance of the high seas, imagining a life of discovery far removed from his desk job.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Academic

n. the group of languages that come from Latin, like Spanish, French, and Italian.

n. the group of languages and cultures derived from Vulgar Latin. Usually capitalized.

“Spanish and Portuguese are both Romance languages.”

“The linguistics professor specialized in the evolution of Romance dialects in the Mediterranean basin.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Music Technical

n. a short, beautiful piece of music that feels emotional or sentimental.

n. a short, lyrical, and sentimental instrumental or vocal composition.

“The violinist played a beautiful romance as an encore.”

“The composer's early works include several romances for piano that demonstrate his burgeoning melodic gift.”

C1 · Advanced Literary

v. to try to make someone fall in love with you.

v. to court or woo someone; to seek the affection of another person.

“He tried to romance her with flowers and expensive dinners.”

“The protagonist spends much of the second act attempting to romance the countess through a series of elaborate gestures.”

C1 · Advanced Academic

adj. describing the languages that developed from Latin.

adj. relating to the languages or cultures derived from Latin. Usually capitalized.

“She is a student of Romance literature at the university.”

“The Romance philology department offers courses in several minor dialects spoken in the Alps.”