Glamorizations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of making something appear more attractive or exciting than it actually is
2. A representation that enhances the appeal or desirability of a subject, often through exaggeration
3. The process of depicting an idea or object in a way that emphasizes its positive qualities, while downplaying the negatives

Etymology: "Glamorizations" is the plural of "glamorization," formed from "glamorize" plus the suffix "-ation," which turns a verb into a noun of action or result. "Glamorize" itself was coined in the early 1800s as a variant of "glamour," and the chain of meaning runs in an unexpected direction: "glamour" was once a Scots word for a magic spell or enchantment. It is a variant of "grammar" (in the older sense of learning, especially occult learning, since grammar was the gateway to Latin scholarship and so to magic). The "-our" spelling came later, and the word moved from sorcery to a dazzling, illusory charm. So a glamorization was, at root, a kind of spell cast over a subject: making it seem more alluring than it is. That sense of illusion survives in the plural's meaning, which describes representations that exaggerate appeal rather than simply display it.

Synonyms: idealizations, romanticizations