‘Roman’ vs. ‘Italian’: What’s the difference? At first glance, the difference between the two may seem simple. The former refers to a citizen of a city, the latter a citizen of a country. But if we take a look at ancient history, we can see things are a bit more complex.
Knowing when to use ‘Roman’ and when to use ‘Italian’ can help keep your work concise and accurate. In this article, we will give you all the information you need to make sure you nail down the difference between these two words.
Want the short version? Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll learn:
To truly understand the difference between ‘Roman’ and ‘Italian,’ we should consider a couple of easy distinctions. First, small versus big or city versus country. Rome is a city that is located in the country of Italy — a smaller part of the larger whole.
A second distinction to consider is old versus new or history versus today because ‘Roman’ can also refer to the ancient empire.
Now that you know some basic differences, let’s take a closer look at ‘Roman’ vs ‘Italian.’
Oxford Languages defines ‘Roman’ as an adjective meaning:
It can also mean:
As a noun, ‘Roman’ is also defined as:
An important thing to note about the word ‘Roman’ is its connection to the term ‘Romance.’ In this case, ‘Romance’ does not refer to love or affection but rather things that are Roman.
Oxford Languages defines ‘Italian’ as an adjective meaning:
It can also be a noun meaning:
Since you won’t just be using these new words in your writing, it is important to know how to pronounce them. Additionally, since ‘Roman’ and ‘Italian’ refer to a foreign country, we will also teach you how to say them like a native Italian speaker.
Use this guide to master the American pronunciations.
Use this phonetic spelling of ‘Roman’ for reference:
Roh-muhn (with a long ‘O’ as used in ‘show’)
Use this phonetic spelling of ‘Italian’ for reference:
Ih-ta-lee-uhn (with the first ‘I’ as used in ‘if’)
Now use this guide to master the European pronunciation.
Use this phonetic spelling of ‘Romano’ for reference:
Ro-mah-no (with a wide ‘A’ instead of an ‘uh’ sound)
Use this phonetic spelling of ‘Italiano’ for reference:
Ee-ta-lee-ah-no (with tall ‘I’ sounds as in ‘tree,’ and the same wide ‘A’)
Now that you have the details let's put our new words into action. Given the historical nature of ‘Roman’ and ‘Italian,’ you must be mindful of the context in which the words appear.
Here are some ways you can use ‘Roman’ and ‘Italian’ in a sentence to make your writing stand out and be more clear:
In this article, we covered everything from synonyms to phrases to best practices and examples of when and how to use ‘Roman’ and ‘Italian.’ With this new knowledge, you’ll be able to polish your writing and keep things clear.
If you want a short recap:
You’ve also had a small history lesson from this article as well which can be just as important when writing or presenting; it allows you to be more culturally aware as well as knowledgeable on the roots of the words you’ve just learned.
We know related words can be stressful to learn, especially when they frequently appear together. But now you have the tools to keep these tricky words at bay and keep your writing as precise as possible. If this guide was helpful, you can also check out our other confusing word articles to help expand your vocabulary, stay historically accurate, and prepare yourself for any upcoming academic writing assignments.
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