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romantically

romantically

6 4.0
In a way that imagines perfect and often unrealistic love
  • adverb
  • /roʊˈmæntɪkli/
translation icon : de forma idealizada
  • He was nice, but I didn't like him romantically.
  • romantically involved
  • romantically inclined
  • think of it romantically

Wall Street mystifies the business romantically.

Examples

  • I didn't think I'd get involved emotionally, romantically, except for passing in the night.

  • Maybe not romantically, but you seem close.

  • These two guys know we are romantically involved.

  • After all, it was all just in my imagination, pretending that this woman could find me romantically interesting.

  • I hope it's okay for me to say this, but... you strike me as someone who's been... burned romantically.

  • They romantically perceived themselves as one people, with one identity, one literature, one culture, and one language.

    Academic text (1998)
  • It wasn't that he was interested in her romantically.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • When you're 14, 27 seems far away, and premature death can seem romantically tragic rather than criminally wasteful.

    Academic text (2010)
  • "Should we be co-opted and file jointly?" The wedding took place near the Rhododendron Gardens of Golden Gate Park, a site we figured was both free and romantically alfresco.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • He often daydreams about love romantically, imagining perfect moments with someone special.

Synonyms

unrealistically
vsromantically
4 4.7

In a way that is not likely to happen or work

is about love and idealism rather than general impracticality
idealistically
vsromantically
1 7.4

In a way that follows strong beliefs about how things should be and ignores what is practical

focuses on feelings of love and emotion rather than principled ideals
fancifully
vsromantically
1 5.7

In a way that shows imagination and looks unreal

centres on love and idealised feelings rather than playful imagination

Antonyms

In a way that looks like the thing itself

How Idealistic

romantically
6 4.0
dreamily
8 3.2
naively
13 4.4
practically
12 2.5

Surface Forms

romantically positive

Morphology

romantically = romantic (transparent) = romantic + ally

Adverbial formation from 'romantic' using '-ally'; the meaning ('in an idealistic/unrealistic way regarding love') is a direct manner reading of the adjective.

Etymology

Romantically also comes from romance, which became a word for a dreamy 'story', so to think or behave romantically can mean imagining perfect or unrealistic love like in a fairy tale.