antebellum
adjective
an·te·bel·lum
ˌan-ti-ˈbe-ləm 
: 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
The Immigration Act of 1882, modeled on antebellum state laws, taxed all foreign passengers and excluded those likely to need public assistance.
—
TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
Many women held strong partisan beliefs but were often put off by the violent, drunken messiness of antebellum politics.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
His latest novel follows the misadventures of a runaway named Jim and his young companion Huckleberry in the antebellum American South.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
Holzer deftly summarizes the complicated politics of the antebellum period, including the rise of the secretive, nativist Know-Nothing movement, the collapse of the Whigs, and the formation of the anti-slavery Republican Party.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Feb. 2024
The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin Genre: Historical Fiction (February 27th, 2024)
Set in antebellum New Orleans, Ady and her mother Sanite have a very strong bond.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 22 Jan. 2024
James conjures a vision of the antebellum South as a scene of pervasive terror.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
Paul Trible himself owns an antebellum plantation in Kilmarnock, Virginia, called Gascony, which was operated by slave labor in the 18th and 19th centuries.
—Brandi Kellam, ProPublica, 22 Dec. 2023
When starting to learn Arabic, few students of the language would expect the journey to lead them back to slavery in the antebellum South.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 10 Aug. 2023
TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
Many women held strong partisan beliefs but were often put off by the violent, drunken messiness of antebellum politics.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
His latest novel follows the misadventures of a runaway named Jim and his young companion Huckleberry in the antebellum American South.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
Holzer deftly summarizes the complicated politics of the antebellum period, including the rise of the secretive, nativist Know-Nothing movement, the collapse of the Whigs, and the formation of the anti-slavery Republican Party.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Feb. 2024
The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin Genre: Historical Fiction (February 27th, 2024)
Set in antebellum New Orleans, Ady and her mother Sanite have a very strong bond.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 22 Jan. 2024
James conjures a vision of the antebellum South as a scene of pervasive terror.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
Paul Trible himself owns an antebellum plantation in Kilmarnock, Virginia, called Gascony, which was operated by slave labor in the 18th and 19th centuries.
—Brandi Kellam, ProPublica, 22 Dec. 2023
When starting to learn Arabic, few students of the language would expect the journey to lead them back to slavery in the antebellum South.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 10 Aug. 2023
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.
Dictionary Entries Near antebellum
Cite this Entry
“Antebellum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antebellum. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
antebellum
adjective
an·te·bel·lum
ˌant-i-ˈbel-əm
: existing before a war
especially
: existing before the American Civil War
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