Romanticism
Etymology
From “romantic,” ultimately from Old French “romanz,” which referred to vernacular tales (romances) written in Romance languages rather than Latin; the sense drifted from “like the adventures in romances” to “stirring strong feeling.” Note that it has little to do with romantic love in the modern sense. The capital-R movement label emerged in the early 19th century.
noun · /roh-MAN-tih-sizm/
The late-18th to 19th-century movement that exalted emotion, nature, imagination, and the individual against Enlightenment rationalism and industrial order.
What it names
The enduring cultural impulse to trust feeling and the sublime over reason and rules — still visible whenever someone prizes authenticity over calculation.
Example
His paintings of storm-lashed cliffs are pure Romanticism, all awe and no restraint.
Related idea
Contrast it with classicism, which prized order, balance, and classical models — Romanticism deliberately rebelled against those ideals in favor of feeling and wildness.