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glamorize

[glam-uh-rahyz] / ˈglæm əˌraɪz /


VERB
romanticize
Synonyms
VERB
sentimentalize
Synonyms


Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for glamorize?
Glamorize most commonly means to make something appear to be glamorous when it’s really not, as in All these movies glamorize violence instead of showing its real consequences. Words that often mean the same thing are glorify and romanticize. The words idealize and sentimentalize can also be used in similar ways. Less commonly, glamorize is used in a more straightforward way meaning to make someone or something more beautiful, attractive, fancy, etc., as in Don’t worry—we will totally glamorize you for the cover shoot.
What's the difference between glamorize, glamour, and glamorous?
The noun glamour is usually spelled with a u but also sometimes spelled glamor. The verb glamorize and the adjective glamorous are sometimes spelled with -our-, but more often just -or-.
Is it glamorize or glamorise?
The usual spelling in American English is glamorize. In British English and other varieties, the spelling glamorise is used.
How do you use glamorize in a sentence?
Glamorize is usually used in the context of things that are believed to glorify or romanticize something considered negative. Here are some examples of glamorize in a sentence:
  • Some war films show the agony of war, while others glamorize it.
  • I try not to glamorize the past when I write historical fiction.
  • She accused the media of glamorizing the life of a pop star.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Wang recognizes it’s her ability to be both inside and outside Hong Kong’s discourse that allows her to glamorize the daily realities of locals.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 25, 2024

Michael Mann’s Ferrari may glamorize speed, but Mann isn’t shy about showing its consequences.

From Slate Nov. 27, 2023

The Stones helped glamorize the Riviera for rock stars.

From Salon Sep. 5, 2023

But unlike DIS — who do so without discernible politics and tend to glamorize a sense of existential resignation — Kline is stridently and sincerely polemical.

From New York Times Mar. 17, 2023

“I suppose I did glamorize it a bit,” he admitted.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

Yes I know there’s a cult that loves its night tennis, that glamorizes it, that thinks it’s an essential part of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 9, 2026

Hollywood’s sins are manifold: It glamorizes violence, fetishizes youth, celebrates materialism and vulgar displays of raw power; it trivializes or ignores complexity, and appropriates cultural narratives shamelessly.

From Washington Post Jan. 27, 2022

With a fresh fade in denim-on-denim or in a suave black-and-yellow rayon shirt, Tre glamorizes himself as anxious teenagers often do: boldly, loudly.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 17, 2021

While he has difficulty aligning his belief in a classless society with the royal family, he doesn’t think “The Crown” glamorizes them, despite its pageantry and splendor.

From New York Times Nov. 18, 2020

He’s a young Mark Zuckerberg lookalike who glamorizes entrepreneurship.

From Salon Apr. 22, 2017

"It's very glamorized, and it feels very professional and fun," said Grace Stark, a world 100m bronze medallist in Tokyo last month.

From Barron's Oct. 10, 2025

Lestat’s figment doubles as his love’s guilty conscience and a glamorized memory.

From Salon May 26, 2024

I’ve spent my life training my own organic neural network on glamorized images of beachside bonfires, generic office shenanigans, rise-and-grind sports montages, chemically horned-up retirees, unblemished sneakers on gritty streets.

From New York Times Jun. 27, 2023

The Gucci brand made billions turning the movement of everyday life into something to be coveted, to be gilded and to be glamorized.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 18, 2023

Now that he had gone, these things, so long subdued by his presence, were glamorized in his wake.

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

“She’s glamorizing the lie that women can have it all!”

From Slate Aug. 11, 2026

Though the streamer’s history of glamorizing and heightening heinous acts isn’t necessarily indicative of the quality of “The Perfect Neighbor,” it does cloud the documentary’s release with apprehension.

From Salon Oct. 21, 2025

Bayona’s film seeks to honor the story and strays away from glamorizing or sensationalizing the horrors the passengers and crew members endured.

From Seattle Times Jan. 2, 2024

Though Van Soest’s film plays into Blanchard’s desire for fame, the director says he worried about glamorizing his subject too much and admits it was a tricky balancing act.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2023

In another, a man rants about tech being “over-glamorized” while acknowledging his own contributions to the glamorizing.

From New York Times Mar. 1, 2023




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