Romania

American  

[roh-mey-nee-uh, ‑-meyn-yuh] / roʊˈmeɪ ni ə, ‑ˈmeɪn yə /

noun

1. a republic in southeastern Europe, bordering on the Black Sea. 91,699 sq. mi. (237,500 sq. km). Bucharest.

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Romania British  

/ rəʊˈmeɪnɪə /

noun

1. a republic in SE Europe, bordering on the Black Sea: united in 1861; became independent in 1878; Communist government set up in 1945; became a socialist republic in 1965; a more democratic regime was installed after a revolution in 1989; joined the EU in 2007. It consists chiefly of a great central arc of the Carpathian Mountains and Transylvanian Alps, with the plains of Walachia, Moldavia, and Dobriya on the south and east and the Pannonian Plain in the west Official language: Romanian. Religion: Romanian Orthodox (Christian) majority. Currency: leu. Capital: Bucharest Pop: 21 790 479 (2013 est). Area: 237 500 sq km (91 699 sq miles)

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Romania Cultural  

1. Republic in southeastern Europe on the northeast Balkan Peninsula, bordered by Hungary to the northwest, Ukraine to the northeast, Moldova and the Black Sea to the east, Bulgaria to the south, and the former Yugoslavia to the southwest. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest.

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Discover More

During World War II, Romania was allied to the Axis Powers but joined the Allies in 1944.

Occupied by Soviet troops in 1944, Romania became a people's republic on the model of the Soviet Union in 1947.

A former Eastern Bloc country, Romania was ruled in the 1970s and 1980s by communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who was overthrown and executed during a bloody revolution in 1989. (See collapse of communism.)

Etymology

Origin of Romania

First recorded in 1800–05 as ( Roumania); from French Roumanie, from Romanian România Romania, ultimately from Latin adjective Rōmānus “Roman” + -ia noun suffix; in English Romania has been the predominant spelling since around 1975; Romania is also the official English-language spelling used by the Romanian government

Compare meaning

How does romania compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Rumania vs. Romania

Example Sentences

The prosecution allege Stana and Badea flew in from Romania to carry out the attack as paid proxies working for the Iranian state.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

However, Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania have returned to the competition.

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

The number would have been even lower but for Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova rejoining the fold.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

Science in the age of machine learning, life in Ceaușescu’s Romania, remembering Audrey Hepburn and more.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

By the end of September 1940, Hungary and Romania had also joined the Axis nations—both countries shared borders with the Soviet state of Ukraine, and hoped Germany would help protect them from the Soviet Union.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein