Roman holiday
Americannoun
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a public spectacle or controversy marked by barbarism, vindictiveness, or scandal.
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pleasure or advantage gained from the discomfort or suffering of others.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Roman holiday
First recorded in 1885–90
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.
In the past, Italy away was something of a Roman holiday for England in the Six Nations.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
Kim Kardashian is making a number of sartorial statements during her Roman holiday.
From Fox News ● Jul. 1, 2021
On my Roman holiday my guide was a dead man of incomparable erudition and wit: the late Australian art critic Robert Hughes.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 28, 2019
Herrmann called composing his 1941 Symphony a "Roman holiday."
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2016
Since seventeen she had saved and scrimped and contrived for this modest Roman holiday.
From Cheerful—By Request by Ferber, Edna
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.
