Roman holiday

American  

noun

1. a public spectacle or controversy marked by barbarism, vindictiveness, or scandal.

2. pleasure or advantage gained from the discomfort or suffering of others.

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Roman holiday British  

noun

1. entertainment or pleasure that depends on the suffering of others

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Etymology

Origin of Roman holiday

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Roman holiday

In the past, Italy away was something of a Roman holiday for England in the Six Nations.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026

The proportion of crisp-soft rice to stretchy cheese is ideal, and, like the puntarelle, a Roman holiday.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 3, 2023

Kim Kardashian is making a number of sartorial statements during her Roman holiday.

From Fox News ● Jul. 1, 2021

That view has not changed — but in empty Rome, still reeling from a year’s cultural deprivation, I felt myself oddly moved by this catastrophic imposture, and the hopelessness of Hirst’s Roman holiday.

From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2021

And I concluded that common sense, common justice, and civil and religious liberty,—the noblest gifts of the past and promises of the future,—had been quite long enough "Butchered to make a Roman holiday."

From From the Oak to the Olive A Plain record of a Pleasant Journey by Howe, Julia Ward