ancien régime
noun
an·cien ré·gime
äⁿs-yaⁿ-rā-ˈzhēm 
1
: the political and social system of France before the Revolution of 1789
2
: a system or mode no longer prevailing
Examples of ancien régime in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Financial Capital The ancien regime has access to a tremendously high sum of money.
—
Radu Magdin, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
This is not to say that Twitter’s ancien regime had everything right or that Musk can’t find actual ways to make Twitter profitable.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 11 Nov. 2022
During the country’s communist period, the government converted the forests to public ownership and kept them off global export markets, enshrining the forest management trends of an ancien regime.
—Alexander Sammon, The New Republic, 16 Feb. 2022
Nobody would describe the year 2021 in tones of halcyon optimism; the days of Medvedev and Obama now seem like an ancien regime of sorts.
—Michael Kimmage, The New Republic, 26 Jan. 2021
What could be more agreeable than to read about illicit amours and political intrigues during the twilight of the ancien regime?
—Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2020
Don’t be surprised if this ends up as more of a sprucing up of the ancien regime than a full-blown revolution.
—Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2019
An old man, a mandarin of the ancien regime, Mr Essebsi was an odd fit for the presidency of a young and newly-free country.
—The Economist, 25 July 2019
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Radu Magdin, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
This is not to say that Twitter’s ancien regime had everything right or that Musk can’t find actual ways to make Twitter profitable.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 11 Nov. 2022
During the country’s communist period, the government converted the forests to public ownership and kept them off global export markets, enshrining the forest management trends of an ancien regime.
—Alexander Sammon, The New Republic, 16 Feb. 2022
Nobody would describe the year 2021 in tones of halcyon optimism; the days of Medvedev and Obama now seem like an ancien regime of sorts.
—Michael Kimmage, The New Republic, 26 Jan. 2021
What could be more agreeable than to read about illicit amours and political intrigues during the twilight of the ancien regime?
—Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2020
Don’t be surprised if this ends up as more of a sprucing up of the ancien regime than a full-blown revolution.
—Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2019
An old man, a mandarin of the ancien regime, Mr Essebsi was an odd fit for the presidency of a young and newly-free country.
—The Economist, 25 July 2019
Cite this Entry
“Ancien régime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ancien%20r%C3%A9gime. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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