different between romantic vs passionate

English

Alternative forms

• romantick (obsolete)

Etymology

From romant +? -ic, or borrowed from Late Latin romanticus (“(of a poem) having qualities of a romance”). Compare French romantique, which is borrowed from English. Also compare Spanish romántico, Portuguese romântico, Italian romantico, Dutch romantisch, and German romantisch and Romantiker (“a composer of Romantic music”), all of which are borrowed from English or French.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /????mænt?k/, /??-/
• (General American) enPR: r?-m?n?(t)?k, IPA^(key): /?o??mæn(t)?k/, [?o??mænt?k], [??-], [-mæ???k], [-me??nt?k], [-me?????k]
• Rhymes: -ænt?k

Adjective

romantic (comparative more romantic, superlative most romantic)

1. (chiefly historical) Of a work of literature, a writer etc.: being like or having the characteristics of a romance, or poetic tale of a mythic or quasi-historical time; fantastic. [from 17th c.]
2. (obsolete) Fictitious, imaginary. [17th-20th c.]
3. Fantastic, unrealistic (of an idea etc.); fanciful, sentimental, impractical (of a person). [from 17th c.]
   • 1993 May 16, "Return to New York" Jeeves and Wooster, Series 3, Episode 6:

     R. Jeeves: In my experience, ladies who spell Gladys with a W are seldom noted for their reliability, sir. It gives them romantic notions.
     B.W. Wooster: With a W, Jeeves? No, no, no, no. You spell it with a G.
     R. Jeeves: If I might draw your attention to the signature on the portrait, sir.
     B.W. Wooster: Good Lord! G-W?
     R. Jeeves: I blame Alfred Lord Tennyson and his Idylls of the King. It also accounts for Kathryn, Ysabel, and Ethyl, all spelt with a Y, but Gwladys is a particularly virulent form, sir.

4. Having the qualities of romance (in the sense of something appealing deeply to the imagination); invoking on a powerfully sentimental idea of life; evocative, atmospheric. [from 17th c.]
   • 1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:

     Somehow she wasn't a real sister, but that only made her the more romantic.
5. Pertaining to an idealised form of love (originally, as might be felt by the heroes of a romance); conducive to romance; loving, affectionate. [from 18th c.]

   Antonyms: platonic, nonsexual

6. Alternative form of Romantic [from 18th c.]

Antonyms

• nonromantic, unromantic, antiromantic, aromantic

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

romantic (plural romantics)

1. A person with romantic character (a character like those of the knights in a mythic romance).
2. A person who is behaving romantically (in a manner befitting someone who feels an idealized form of love).

   Oh, flowers! You're such a romantic.

Descendants

• ? French: romantique
• ? Italian: romantico

Translations

References

Further reading

• "romantic" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 274.

Romanian

Etymology

From French romantique.

Adjective

romantic m or n (feminine singular romantic?, masculine plural romantici, feminine and neuter plural romantice)

1. romantic

Declension

English

Etymology

From Middle English passionat, from Medieval Latin passionatus, past participle of passionare (“to be affected with passion”); see passion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pæ??n?t/, /?pæ??n?t/
• Hyphenation: pas?sion?ate

Adjective

passionate (comparative more passionate, superlative most passionate)

1. Given to strong feeling, sometimes romantic, sexual, or both.
2. Fired with intense feeling.
   • 1718, Matthew Prior, Solomon, and other Poems on several Occasions, Preface, in Samuel Johnson (editor), The Works of the English Poets, London: J. Nichols, Volume 31, 1779, p. 93,^[1]

     Homer intended to shew us, in his Iliad, that dissentions amongst great men obstruct the execution of the noblest enterprizes […] His Achilles therefore is haughty and passionate, impatient of any restraint by laws, and arrogant of arms.

3. (obsolete) Suffering; sorrowful.
   • 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King John, II. i. 544:

     She is sad and passionate at your highness’ tent.

   • 1599, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, I. ii. 124:

     Poor, forlorn Proteus, passionate Proteus,

Synonyms

• (fired with intense feeling): ardent, blazing, burning, dithyrambic, fervent, fervid, fiery, flaming, glowing, heated, hot-blooded, hotheaded, impassioned, perfervid, red-hot, scorching, torrid

Derived terms

• passionate friendship

Related terms

• passion
• passive
• passivity
• patience
• patient

Translations

Noun

passionate (plural passionates)

1. A passionate individual.

Verb

passionate (third-person singular simple present passionates, present participle passionating, simple past and past participle passionated)

1. (obsolete) To fill with passion, or with another given emotion.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, I.xii:

     Great pleasure mixt with pittifull regard, / That godly King and Queene did passionate [...].

2. (obsolete) To express with great emotion.
   • 1607, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus, III. ii. 6:

     Thy niece and I, poor creatures, want our hands / And cannot passionate our tenfold grief / with folded arms.

Further reading

• passionate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• passionate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Latin

Adjective

passi?n?te

1. vocative masculine singular of passi?n?tus

References

• passionate in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)

Middle English

Adjective

passionate

1. Alternative form of passionat