romance

A loving relationship between two people.

• Their romance began at school.
• She had a brief romance with a musician.
• Did their summer romance last?

How to use it: romance with someone (His romance with Anna lasted two years.)

Similar words: love affair, relationship

Common phrases: summer romance, romance with someone, brief romance

Beautiful, exciting feelings of love between people.

• The evening was full of romance.
• They wanted to bring romance back into their marriage.
• Flowers added a touch of romance to the dinner.

Similar words: romantic love

Common phrases: full of romance, bring back romance, romance in something

A book, film, or other story mainly about people falling in love.

• She enjoys reading romances.
• We watched a gentle romance last night.
• His latest book is a historical romance.

Similar words: love story

Common phrases: read a romance, romance novel, historical romance

A quality that makes something seem exciting, beautiful, or full of mystery.

• He loved the romance of sea travel.
• The old castle has a certain romance.
• Flying lost its romance when it became routine.

How to use it: the romance of something (She was drawn to the romance of distant islands.)

Similar words: charm, allure

Common phrases: romance of something, sense of romance

An old kind of adventure story about knights, brave heroes, and their journeys.

• The romance tells of a brave knight.
• She studies medieval romances at university.
• A dragon guards the castle in this old romance.

Similar words: chivalric tale

Common phrases: medieval romance, chivalric romance