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

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

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

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

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, old regime

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1