PsychologyAugust 22, 2026

romanticising

ro-man-ti-SY-zing

Definition

To deal with or describe something in an idealized or unrealistic fashion, often ignoring its negative aspects.

Etymology

Derived from the word 'romantic,' which relates to the Romantic movement in literature and art that emphasized emotion and individualism. The suffix '-ise' or '-ize' is added to denote the act of treating something with those idealized qualities.

In the news

The author uses the word to explain that while they value self-reliance, they are not idealizing the 1970s, as that era also contained harmful elements like casual violence and lack of basic safety measures.

Research suggests the generation that grew up in the 1960s and 70s wasn't hardened by trauma so much as tempered by ordinary difficulty — the kind of low-level, unmanaged adversity that modern safety culture has almost completely removed from childhoo

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