romantasy

Blend of romance +‎ fantasy. The term was popularized in 2020.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɹəʊˈmæn.tə.si/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɹoʊˈmæn.tə.si/
  • (uncommon) IPA^(key): [ɹoʊˈmæ̃ɾ̃əsi], [ɹoʊˈmænəsi]

romantasy (countable and uncountable, plural romantasies)

1. (uncountable) Romantic fantasy, a subgenre of fantasy literature. [from 21st c.]
   • 2009 December 14, @xlittleshawty, Twitter‎^[1], archived from the original on 18 July 2024:

     I want @lara_adrian 's book 7.! -.- sooo bad.! Best romantasy author ever.! (:

   • 2017 October 29, @loneIydreams, Twitter‎^[2], archived from the original on 18 July 2024:

     Well that's the typical girl in books
     Especially romance and "romantasy"

   • 2023 November 11, Madison Darbyshire, “Hot stuff”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 9:

     [Sarah J.] Maas, whose sales jumped 51 per cent this past year and was largely credited by Bloomsbury for a 15 per cent increase in total revenue, is technically classified as sci-fi or “romantasy”.

   • 2024 February 17, Anna Nicolaou, quoting Morgan Entrekin, “‘Romantasy’ writer who could save publishing”, in FT Weekend, Opinion, page 9:

     Morgan Entrekin, chief executive of Grove Atlantic, the publisher behind last year's Booker prize-winner, Paul Lynch's Prophet Song, agrees. “The boom in [romantasy]^[sic] has been amazing,” he says.

2. (countable) A romantic fantasy. [from 20th c.]
   • 1928 May 16, Kaufmann’s, “Now—PINK Willow English Luncheon Ware”, in The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pa., →OCLC, page 24:

     Every hostess knows Blue Willow, the lovers fleeing across the bridge, the turtle doves and all the other romantasies . . .

   • 1940 August 25, Dent, “The holiday novel of the year”, in The Observer, 149th year, number 7,787, London, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2, column 6:

     Are we light-hearted? Yes—if we counter warning-weariness by reading Gerald Bullett’s romantasy: When the cat’s away

   • 1989 February 11, Marc, “Companions”, in The Gazette, Montreal, Que., →ISSN, →OCLC, page F-5, column 7:

     Won’t you be my Valentine “romantasy”.

   • 2024, Ana Bidault, Hannah Konetzki, Paule Ledesma, Vera Ma, Eeva Nikunen, Jenna Stark, “Color Happily Ever After”, in Romantasy: A Coloring Book, [Garden City, N.Y.]: Dover Publications, →ISBN, back cover:

     The perfect companion to your favorite book series, this coloring book filled with fire-breathing dragons, dagger-wielding warriors, and fierce and lovely fae will make all your romantasies come true.