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Byzantine, a Word for History Buffs
Today, the city that lies on the Bosporus Strait in Turkey is named Istanbul, but it was once known as Constantinople (a name given to it when it became the capital of the Byzantine Empire, aka the eastern half of the Roman Empire), and in ancient times, it was called Byzantium. Its history is legendary—filled with mystics, wars, and political infighting—and over time the word Byzantine (from the Late Latin word Byzantinus, the name for a native of Byzantium) became synonymous in English with anything characteristic of the city or empire, from architecture to intrigue. The figurative sense used to describe that which is intricately involved and not easily understood first appeared in the early 20th century.
Examples of Byzantine in a Sentence
Aryn Baker, Time, 26 Apr. 2025
Over the course of the millennium, the peninsula was part of the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, it was invaded by Mongols and fought over by Venice and Genoa.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
Cobblestone streets are lined with tumbling bougainvillea, and café tables are tucked into every nook and cranny, including on hillside steps that lead to more restaurants and shops in neoclassical buildings, Byzantine churches, and of course nightclubs, because everything in Athens is a dichotomy.
—Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Curiously enough, its Byzantine domes are replicated in mosques across Istanbul on both ends of the Bosporus, all looking sort of similar.
—Danuta Hamlin, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Byzantine
Cite this Entry
“Byzantine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Byzantine. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Byzantine
1 of 2 noun
bə-ˈzan-
Byzantine
2 of 2 adjective
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