antebellum

adjective

an·​te·​bel·​lum ˌan-ti-ˈbe-ləm How to pronounce antebellum (audio)
: existing before a war
especially : existing before the American Civil War
antebellum houses
the antebellum South

Examples of antebellum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Benevolent associations and mutual aid societies, sometimes referred to as secret societies, had a long history in many antebellum Southern cities. Faron Levesque, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 May 2024 Minneapolis police Inspector Charlie Adams — one of Ford’s many interviewees — points to the throughline connecting the antebellum South’s slave patrols to today’s cops stopping Black people and requesting IDs. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for antebellum 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antebellum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin ante bellum before the war

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of antebellum was in 1826

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near antebellum

Cite this Entry

“Antebellum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antebellum. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

antebellum

adjective
an·​te·​bel·​lum ˌant-i-ˈbel-əm How to pronounce antebellum (audio)
: existing before a war
especially : existing before the American Civil War

More from Merriam-Webster on antebellum

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!