a metrical narrative, especially in medieval French literature.
a novel.
of or relating to the ancient or modern city of Rome, or to its inhabitants and their customs and culture.
Roman restaurants.
of or relating to the ancient kingdom, republic, and empire whose capital was the city of Rome.
of a kind or character regarded as typical of the ancient Romans.
Roman virtues.
(usually lowercase) designating or pertaining to the upright style of printing types most commonly used in modern books, periodicals, etc., of which the main text of this dictionary is an example.
of or relating to the Roman Catholic Church.
noting, pertaining to, or resembling the architecture of ancient Rome, especially the public and religious architecture, characterized by the employment of massive brick and concrete construction, with such features as the semicircular arch, the dome, and groin and barrel vaults, by the use in interiors of marble and molded stucco revetments, by the elaboration of the Greek orders as purely decorative motifs for the adornment of façades and interiors, and by an overall effect in which simplicity and grandeur of massing is often combined with much elaboration of detailing.
written in or pertaining to Roman numerals.
a native, inhabitant, or citizen of ancient or modern Rome.
the dialect of Italian spoken in Rome.
(usually lowercase) roman type or lettering.
Disparaging. a member of the Roman Catholic Church.
Rare. the Latin language.
a male given name.
of or relating to Rome or its inhabitants in ancient or modern times
of or relating to Roman Catholicism or the Roman Catholic Church
denoting, relating to, or having the style of architecture used by the ancient Romans, characterized by large-scale masonry domes, barrel vaults, and semicircular arches
a citizen or inhabitant of ancient or modern Rome
informal short for Roman Catholic
First recorded in 1560–80; from Middle French, French roman; see origin at romance 1 ( def. )
before 900; < Latin Rōmānus ( see Rome, -an); replacing Middle English Romain < Old French < Latin, as above; replacing Old English Roman ( e ) < Latin, as above
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The sparks, he said, resembed a "giant roman candle" and went from the plane's nose to its tail.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2025
There is no more quotable novel about Hollywood than Carrie Fisher’s roman à clef, “Postcards From the Edge.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
Every year, the workshop produces hundreds of smaller “bulls,” with roman candles for horns that are carried on someone’s shoulders through the streets of countless small towns in Mexico, sending kids skittering in delight.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 9, 2024
The seamless overlap between real life and fictional counterparts, and the faithful reproduction of such well-established facts, conveys the author’s intention to offer a crystal clear clé to this roman à clef.
From New York Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
He wore a regal blue robe decorated with roman numerals.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
Recently, cookbook author and food-world oracle Alison Roman gave Loonen her social-media stamp of approval after discovering it at Two Bunch Palms hotel in Desert Hot Springs, Calif.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Combining data from Rubin, Roman, Swift, and ground-based observatories could allow scientists to identify many more wandering black holes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
That is being paid by billionaire Roman Karkosik, a 75-year-old who is regularly listed as one of Poland's richest tycoons.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Experts said these dry conditions have brought to light a range of hidden archaeological remains, including Roman buildings and practice trenches from World War One.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“As fine as it looks on this hill, I didn’t come all this way to admire it. According to Annabeth, it must be returned to Camp Half-Blood by a Roman leader. Do I understand correctly?”
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Hiddleston notes that “one great gift of Pompeii is that the Romans didn’t have paper, so the walls, the columns, the houses, the public buildings are covered in writing: deeds, business contracts, advertisements, gossip, doodles.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Cultivated for millennia, Armenia's famed apricots were known to ancient Romans as the "Armenian apple."
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Though clay roof tiles were introduced by the Romans, the English industry grew up in the eastern part of the country during the 12th century.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
The politician in question is former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who wrote an op-ed in The Times of London titled “To save the West, remember what Romans taught us.”
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026
The Romans stared at the roof-access door as if they were waiting for someone.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Its obsessive characters, abrupt transitions, abstract narrative and hyper-naturalistic attention to detail also recall the French nouvelle romans of Marguerite Duras and Alain Robbe-Grillet.
From New York Times ● Jan. 4, 2023
This record further emphasizes her leap away from autobiography into songs that are either pure fictions or else lyrically symbolic in ways that don’t act as romans à clef.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2020
“I’m sad that this is what America demands as entertainment. We’re the romans, cheering for the lions. ‘Are you not entertained?’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2019
That “lunacy” is evidenced, for example, by Hester’s efforts to make romantic romans à clef out of Murdoch’s books.
From The New Yorker ● May 10, 2016
Like all the romans, or nearly all, "Aucassins" is singularly pure and refined.
From Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres by Adams, Henry
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.
