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Showing results for glamorize. Search instead for glamourized.
Definitions

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:

It didn’t valorize or glamorize the economic downturn; it just portrayed it in the way that the people who lived there experienced it.

From Salon Jan. 27, 2026

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

From Slate Nov. 27, 2023

Did I glamorize Los Angeles in a way that she would immediately find annoying?

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 24, 2023

While Mr. Earnest was careful not to glamorize intelligence work, he also seemed to enjoy occasionally pulling back the curtain on the life of the spy.

From New York Times Feb. 19, 2022

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

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

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

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

Martin Scorsese has directed a significant part of his energy toward putting organized crime on-screen in a way that effectively if not technically glamorizes it.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 19, 2019

Jones said she’s aware that some critics of the franchise believe the series glamorizes teen pregnancy to young viewers.

From Fox News Oct. 26, 2019

The cinematography in “The Miniaturist” imitates a Vermeer masterpiece's interplay between light and shadow, engulfing the action in mesmerizing glow that both augments and glamorizes the weight of what is essentially Petronella’s imprisonment.

From Salon Sep. 8, 2018

"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

But Bernstein’s rise, recently glamorized in the Oscar-nominated “Maestro,” showed that conductors from the United States could compete with their finest counterparts across the Atlantic.

From New York Times Mar. 6, 2024

A toxic commitment to the office, previously glamorized onscreen and standardized across society, is explicitly denounced in its 2022 setting.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 15, 2022

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

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

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

“It wasn’t about glamorizing or promoting anything except telling her story that then could be a vehicle for others to have these very difficult conversations.”

From Washington Times Dec. 11, 2022

That show became a hit for what many would consider the wrong reasons, in that it is accused of glamorizing its repugnant main subject.

From Salon Oct. 25, 2022

Now, I regularly see stories glamorizing Wonder Valley and the eclectic lifestyle offered here.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 12, 2022

In collaboration with her subjects she sets up tableaux, usually in domestic settings, that combine sensuous glamorizing and disturbing details.

From New York Times Jul. 29, 2021




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