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Romantic vs Passionate - What's the difference?

romantic | passionate |

In obsolete terms the difference between romantic and passionate

is that romantic is fictitious, imaginary while passionate is to express with great emotion.

As adjectives the difference between romantic and passionate

is that romantic is 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 while passionate is given to strong feeling, sometimes romantic and/or sexual.

As nouns the difference between romantic and passionate

is that romantic is a person with romantic character (a character like those of the knights in a mythic romance) while passionate is a passionate individual.

As a verb passionate is

to fill with passion, or with another given emotion.

romantic

English

Alternative forms

* romantick (obsolete)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (obsolete) Fictitious, imaginary.
  • Fantastic, unrealistic (of an idea etc.); fanciful, sentimental, impractical (of a person).
  • 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.
  • *
  • But here is an artist. He desires to paint you the dreamiest, shadiest, quietest, most enchanting bit of romantic landscape in all the valley of the Saco.
  • * 1897 , Henry James, What Maisie Knew :
  • Somehow she wasn't a real sister, but that only made her the more romantic .
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838, page=71, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= End of the peer show , passage=Finance is seldom romantic . But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.}}
  • Pertaining to an idealised form of love (originally, as might be felt by the heroes of a romance); conducive to romance; loving, affectionate.
  • Synonyms

    * (concerned with romance) nonplatonic, lovesome

    Antonyms

    * platonic, queerplatonic, nonromantic, unromantic, aromantic, antiromantic, nonsexual

    Derived terms

    * bromantic * romantically * romanticism * romanticness

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person with romantic character (a character like those of the knights in a mythic romance).
  • 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: (l) * Italian: (l)

    passionate

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Given to strong feeling, sometimes romantic and/or sexual.
  • Fired with intense feeling; ardent, blazing, burning.
  • * Prior
  • Homer's Achilles is haughty and passionate .
  • (obsolete) Suffering; sorrowful.
  • * 1596 , , II. i. 544:
  • She is sad and passionate at your highness' tent.
  • * 1599 , , 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.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A passionate individual.
  • Verb

    (passionat)
  • (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 [...].
  • (obsolete) To express with great emotion.
  • * 1607 , , III. ii. 6:
  • Thy niece and I, poor creatures, want our hands / And cannot passionate our tenfold grief / with folded arms.