# romance

/ˈɹoʊmæns/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/romance
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. love relationship

noun · CEFR B1

an exciting and intimate relationship between two people who love each other.

For teachers: an intimate, typically short-term or idealized love affair between two people.

- Their summer romance began on a beach in Italy and lasted for years.
- The film explores the brief but intense romance between a traveling musician and a local artist during the height of the jazz age.

### 2. book or film genre

noun · CEFR B1

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

For teachers: 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.

### 3. excitement and mystery

noun · CEFR B2

a feeling of excitement, mystery, and adventure.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. Latin-based languages

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic

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

For teachers: 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.

Usage: Usually capitalized as 'Romance'.

### 5. musical piece

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

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

For teachers: 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.

### 6. to court or woo

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to try to make someone fall in love with you.

For teachers: 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.

### 7. relating to Latin languages

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic

describing the languages that developed from Latin.

For teachers: 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.

Usage: Usually capitalized as 'Romance'.

## Examples

- The couple enjoyed the romance of a candlelit dinner.
- The composer's latest work is a beautiful romance for violin and piano that captures the spirit of the 19th century.
- While the novel was marketed as a simple romance, it actually explored the complex psychological tensions between duty and personal desire in a changing society.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.