romanticisation
Making something seem ideal
Romanticisation is the act of making something seem more appealing, exciting, or ideal than it actually is.
The word often carries a critical edge—to romanticise poverty, war, or mental illness is to gloss over harsh realities: The film's romanticisation of addiction drew criticism.
British spelling; Americans write romanticization.
Elevating praise or worship
- perfectionAbsence of any fault
- utopiaImagined perfect society
- idyllTranquil rural tableau
- paradiseIdeal, blissful place
halcyon · nirvana · apotheosis · quintessence · epitome · sublime · pinnacle · beautification
Decorative addition or exaggeration
- hyperboleRhetorical extreme exaggeration
- overstatementClaim beyond the facts
- dramatizationConverting events to performance
- mythologizingMaking legendary or sacred
aggrandizement · overemphasis · inflation · magnification · elaboration · gilding · fancifulness · distortion
Intense prolonged craving
- reminiscenceRecalling past experiences
- wistfulnessTender sadness for absence
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
homesickness · yesteryear · bygone · retrospection · sepia-toned · memories · retro · vintage
Romantic liaison, often illicit
- passionIntense emotional drive
- infatuationShort-lived intense attraction
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
- wooingRomantic pursuit of another
ardor · desire · devotion · enchantment · intimacy · sweetheart · tenderness · heartthrob
Habitual mental retreat
- daydreamConscious fantasy while awake
- fairy-taleMagical children's story
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
- adventureRisky exciting undertaking
fiction · wonderland · make-believe · whimsy · storybook · dreamland · reverie · imagining
glorification
Elevating praise or worship
- perfectionAbsence of any fault
- utopiaImagined perfect society
- idyllTranquil rural tableau
paradise · halcyon · nirvana · apotheosis · quintessence · epitome · sublime · pinnacle · beautification · ennoblement
embellishment
Decorative addition or exaggeration
- hyperboleRhetorical extreme exaggeration
- overstatementClaim beyond the facts
- dramatizationConverting events to performance
mythologizing · aggrandizement · overemphasis · inflation · magnification · elaboration · gilding · fancifulness · distortion · sentimentalizing
yearning
Intense prolonged craving
- reminiscenceRecalling past experiences
- wistfulnessTender sadness for absence
- longingIntense, persistent desire
melancholy · homesickness · yesteryear · bygone · retrospection · sepia-toned · memories · retro · vintage · heritage
amour
Romantic liaison, often illicit
- passionIntense emotional drive
- infatuationShort-lived intense attraction
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
wooing · ardor · desire · devotion · enchantment · intimacy · sweetheart · tenderness · heartthrob · soulmate
escapism
Habitual mental retreat
- daydreamConscious fantasy while awake
- fairy-taleMagical children's story
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
adventure · fiction · wonderland · make-believe · whimsy · storybook · dreamland · reverie · imagining · fanciful
romanticisationrealism
Accepting things as they are
objectivity · demystification · disillusionment · unvarnished truth · matter-of-factness
romanticisationdemonisation
Portraying as wholly evil
vilification · cynicism · disparagement · uglification · brutalization
romanticisationdeconstruction
Analysis exposing self-contradiction
critical analysis · debunking · disenchantment · critique · scepticism
romantic, romance, Roman, romanticize, romanticized, romanticizes, romanticizing, Romanesque, romanticise