Phrase guide

Rome wasn't built in a day

proverb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɹəʊm ˌwɒzənt ˈbɪlt‿ɪn‿ə ˈdeɪ/
  • General-American: /ˈɹoʊm ˌwʌzənt ˈbɪlt‿ɪn‿ə ˈdeɪ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪ

1

proverb

Meaning 1

It takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • I know this project is a big undertaking, but you need to have patience and be hopeful. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: Rome wasn't burned in a day

History

Etymology

Probably a calque of Middle French Rome ne fut pas faite toute en un jour (literally “Rome was not made all in one day”); compare modern French Rome ne s'est pas faite en un jour.

Across languages

Translations

51 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Amharic: ሮም፡በአንድ፡ቀን፡አልተገነባችም (rom bäʾand ḳän ʾaltägänäbbaččəmm) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Arabic: لَم تُبْنَ رُومَا فِي يَوْم (lam tubna rūmā fī yawm) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Azerbaijani: Moskva bir günə tikilməyib — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Bulgarian: хубавите неща стават бавно (hubavite nešta stavat bavno) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Cebuano: dilî tanáng butang sili nga mohaláng dayon — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Chinese Mandarin: 羅馬不是一日建成的 /罗马不是一日建成的 (Luómǎ bù shì yī rì jiàn chéng de) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Chinese Mandarin: 冰凍三尺,非一日之寒 /冰冻三尺 — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Czech: Řím nebyl postaven za jeden den — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Czech: Praha nebyla postavena za jeden den — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Danish: Rom blev ikke bygget på en dag — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Dutch: Rome is niet op één dag gebouwd — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Dutch: Keulen en Aken zijn niet op één dag gebouwd — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Esperanto: ne en unu tago elkreskis Kartago — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Estonian: Roomat ei ehitatud ühe päevaga — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Finnish: ei Roomaakaan päivässä rakennettu — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Finnish: Roomaa ei rakennettu yhdessä päivässä — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • French: Rome ne s'est pas faite en un jour — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • French: Paris ne s'est pas fait en un jour — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Galician: Roma non se fixo nun día — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • German: Rom ist nicht an einem Tag erbaut worden — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • German: Rom wurde nicht in einem Tag erbaut — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Greek: η Ρώμη δεν χτίστηκε σε μια μέρα (i Rómi den chtístike se mia méra) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Hebrew: רומא לא נבנתה ביום אחד — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Hungarian: Róma sem egy nap alatt épült (fel) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Hungarian: nem egy nap alatt épült fel Róma — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Icelandic: Róm var ekki byggð á einum degi — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Ido: Roma ne konstruktesis dum un dio — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Indonesian: Roma tidak dibangun dalam sehari — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Irish: i ndiaidh a chéile a thógtar na caisleáin — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Italian: Roma non fu fatta in un giorno — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Japanese: ローマは一日にして成らず (Rōma wa ichinichi ni shite narazu) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Korean: 로마는 하루 아침에 이루어지지 않았다 (Roma-neun haru achim-e irueo-jiji anatda) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Latin: Rōma nōn ūnō diē aedificāta est — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Lithuanian: Roma nebuvo pastatyta per dieną — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Māori: e kore e taea e te rā o te waru — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Norwegian Bokmål: Rom ble ikke bygget på en dag — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: Roma vart ikkje bygd på éin dag — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Polish: nie od razu Rzym zbudowano — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Polish: nie od razu Kraków zbudowano — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Portuguese: Roma e Pavia não se fizeram num dia — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Scottish Gaelic: chan ann leis a’ chiad bhuille a thuiteas a’ chraobh — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Serbo-Croatian: Рим није саграђен у једном дану — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Serbo-Croatian: Rim nije sagrađen u jednom danu — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Spanish: Roma no se hizo en un día — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Spanish: no se ganó Zamora en una hora — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Swedish: Rom byggdes inte på en dag — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Thai: กรุงโรมไม่ได้สร้างเสร็จในวันเดียว (grung-room-mâi-dâi-sâang-sèt-nai-wan-diao) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Turkish: sabreden derviş muradına ermiş — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Ukrainian: Рим не одразу будувався (Rym ne odrazu buduvavsja) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Ukrainian: Рим не одразу збудований (Rym ne odrazu zbudovanyj) — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive
  • Welsh: nid mewn undydd y codwyd Rhufain — it takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive