English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
adj Common

roman

ROH-muhn
Quiz me More like this

Roman (adj) means relating to the city of Rome or the ancient Roman Empire. Example: “The museum has an excellent collection of Roman coins.”

adj
1
Relating to the city of Rome or the ancient Roman Empire.
"The museum has an excellent collection of Roman coins."
"We walked along the remains of a Roman road in the hills."
"Tourists queue to see the Roman baths in the city."
2
Describing upright, non-slanted print type, as opposed to italic.
"The instructions are printed in roman type, with key terms in italic."
"Most novels are set in roman type, while the titles appear in italic."
"Choose a roman font for the main text and keep italic for emphasis."
noun
1
A native or resident of Rome.
"The tour guide, a lifelong Roman, knew every back street."
"As a born Roman, she could name every fountain in the old city."
"My neighbour is a Roman who moved here to study English."

How to use roman

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishRelating to ancient or modern Rome, or (in typography) describing plain upright text rather than italics.

Common pairings
roman numeral roman type roman empire
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like roman.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice

Word forms

Comparative
more Roman
Superlative
most Roman
Test yourself on “roman” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The museum has an excellent collection of _____ coins.

Etymology

From the name Rome.

Latin of Rome of ancient Rome papist papistical Romanist Romanic popish papistic Rhomaian Romaean Romaic

Antonyms

Related words

Rhymes for roman

See all rhymes for roman →

Frequently asked questions

What does “roman” mean?
The word “roman” means relating to the city of Rome or the ancient Roman Empire. In plain terms, relating to ancient or modern Rome, or (in typography) describing plain upright text rather than italics.
How do you pronounce “roman”?
“Roman” is pronounced ROH-muhn (/ˈɹəʊmən/ in IPA).
How do you use “roman” in a sentence?
Here is “roman” used in a sentence: “The museum has an excellent collection of Roman coins.”
What is another word for “roman”?
Words with a similar meaning to “roman” include Rhomaian, Romaean and Romaic.
What part of speech is “roman”?
Depending on how it is used, “roman” can be an adjective and a noun.
Is “roman” a common word?
“Roman” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “roman” have?
“Roman” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: relating to the city of Rome or the ancient Roman Empire.
What is the difference between Roman and Latin?
'Roman' relates to the city of Rome, its people, and the ancient Roman Empire — Roman roads, Roman soldiers. 'Latin' is chiefly the language spoken by the Romans, and more broadly the cultures descended from it. So the Romans spoke Latin: one word describes the people and place, the other the language.
Does 'roman' have other meanings?
Yes, especially in lowercase. In typography, 'roman' means upright, regular type, as opposed to slanted italic — most body text is set in roman. 'Roman numerals' are the letter-based numbers (I, V, X, L, C, D, M) used by the ancient Romans and still seen on clocks and in book chapters today.
What are Roman numerals?
Roman numerals are the number system of ancient Rome, using letters to represent values: I is one, V is five, X is ten, L is fifty, C is a hundred, D is five hundred, and M is a thousand. They still appear on clock faces, film credits, and monarchs' titles.
What is an example of Roman?
The Colosseum, Roman roads, and Roman baths are famous survivals of the empire. Culturally, we speak of Roman law, Roman numerals, and the Roman alphabet — the very letters used to write English. The word links anything to Rome, whether ancient history or its lasting influence today.

Featured in

People also searched