What does CXLII mean?

CXLII is the Roman numeral for 142 — 100 + 40 + 1 + 1.

How do you write 142 in Roman numerals?

Take the largest value that fits and repeat until nothing is left: C (100), then XL (40), then I (1), then I (1). That gives CXLII.

142 in Roman numerals

CXLII

Number (1–3,999 for numerals)

Roman numeral

142 is written CXLII in Roman numerals. That is 4 symbol groups added together, reading left to right from the largest value down.

How it breaks down

CXLII = 100 + 40 + 1 + 1 = 142
Group	Value	Subtraction	Running total
C	100	—	100
XL	40	L − X	140
I	1	—	141
I	1	—	142

Why the smaller symbol comes first

CXLII uses subtractive notation in one place: XL means L minus X, or 40. A smaller symbol placed before a larger one is subtracted from it rather than added, which is why IX is nine and not eleven.

Only six such pairs are valid — IV, IX, XL, XC, CD and CM. That restriction is what makes the notation unambiguous: IIII and IC both look like they should work, but neither is standard, and only one spelling of any number is correct.

The symbols

Symbol	Value	Used here
I	1	yes — 2×
V	5	no
X	10	yes — 1×
L	50	yes — 1×
C	100	yes — 1×
D	500	no
M	1,000	no

The same number, other ways

In words: One hundred forty-two
Roman numeral: CXLII
Symbol count: 5 characters
Binary: 10001110
Hexadecimal: 8E

The numbers either side

Number	Roman numeral
140	CXL
141	CXLI
142	CXLII ←
143	CXLIII
144	CXLIV

Common questions

What is 142 in Roman numerals?: 142 is CXLII.
What does CXLII mean?: CXLII is the Roman numeral for 142 — 100 + 40 + 1 + 1.
How do you write 142 in Roman numerals?: Take the largest value that fits and repeat until nothing is left: C (100), then XL (40), then I (1), then I (1). That gives CXLII.

Sources

Calculated on this page — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked