Nero
Americannoun
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(Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus ) (“Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus” ) a.d. 37–68, emperor of Rome 54–68, known for his cruelty and depravity.
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a male given name.
noun
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A famous legend holds that Nero caused the great fire of Rome himself and played a violin while watching it. To say that someone is “fiddling while Rome burns” is to say that the person is indifferent to catastrophe.
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.
Lynch received the Nero Book Awards' debut fiction accolade last month, and has now also received the overall prize for the best book of 2025.
From BBC
The area was once viewed as ominous, dominated by an ancient walnut tree believed to be infested with demons and marking the supposed burial place of Emperor Nero.
From Science Daily
Costa's rivals jumped on the trend with Starbucks and Pret offering an iced matcha latte and Nero a strawberry and vanilla iced matcha latte.
From BBC
Fifth Roman emperor Nero threw spectacular games and events which made him popular with ordinary people, but is better remembered for his brutality and cruelty.
From BBC
In fact, from a table outside the new Gail's you could easily throw a cinnamon bun and hit both a Caffe Nero and a Costa.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.