# romantic

/ɹoʊˈmæntɪk/ (US) · /ɹəʊmˈæntɪk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/romantic
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. love and relationships

adjective · CEFR B1

related to feelings of love and the desire for a close relationship.

For teachers: pertaining to an idealised form of love or the expression of affection in a relationship.

- He took her to a romantic dinner at a quiet restaurant by the lake.
- The couple spent a romantic weekend in a secluded cottage, away from the distractions of their busy city lives.

### 2. atmospheric or beautiful

adjective · CEFR B2

making you feel a sense of wonder, beauty, or mystery.

For teachers: evoking a strong sense of imagination, beauty, or atmospheric charm.

- The old castle ruins looked very romantic in the moonlight.
- The poet found the rugged landscape deeply romantic, often spending hours sketching the mist-covered peaks.

### 3. impractical or idealistic

adjective · CEFR B2

having ideas that are not very practical or realistic.

For teachers: characterised by an idealised or impractical view of reality; prioritising sentiment over pragmatism.

- She has a romantic idea about living on a farm without any modern tools.
- His romantic notions of revolution were quickly challenged by the harsh political realities he encountered on the ground.

### 4. the Romantic movement

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic

related to a style of art and literature from the 1800s that focused on strong feelings and nature.

For teachers: pertaining to Romanticism, the late 18th and 19th-century artistic and intellectual movement.

- We studied the Romantic poets like Keats and Shelley in our literature class.
- The Romantic movement was a reaction against the scientific rationalisation of nature during the Enlightenment.

### 5. an idealistic person

noun · CEFR B2

a person who is very idealistic or who loves romantic things.

For teachers: an individual motivated by sentiment, imagination, or an idealised worldview.

- I am a bit of a romantic, so I still write letters by hand.
- Despite his cynical exterior, he remained a hopeless romantic who believed that everyone eventually finds their soulmate.

### 6. an artist or writer

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic

a writer, painter, or musician from the Romantic period.

For teachers: an artist, author, or composer associated with the Romanticism movement.

- The Romantics often wrote about the power and beauty of the natural world.
- As a true Romantic, the composer sought to express the full range of human emotion through his symphonies.

## Examples

- He is a true romantic who still writes handwritten love letters.
- She considers herself a hopeless romantic, always looking for the magic in everyday situations.
- While his colleagues focused on the logistical hurdles of the move, the romantic in him could only imagine the sunset views from their new balcony.

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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.