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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As a historical interpreter, McKnight dresses in the types of clothing that African Americans, both enslaved and free, wore in the antebellum South, and on through the late 1800s. Jaha Nailah Avery, Essence, 28 May 2025 There is no question, the enslaved workers at the Nottoway Plantation during the antebellum era were human chattel. Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Time, 21 May 2025 In the United States, the unholy compromises with the Southern slave states in the antebellum era is a case in point. Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025 Photos published by local outlet WVUE showed the home, which dates back to the antebellum South and was once home to enslaved Americans, ruined by the fire that sparked on May 15. Melina Khan, USA Today, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for antebellum

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

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Cite this Entry

“Antebellum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antebellum. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

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

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