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
Travis and Maria Summers had been smelling the faint and sickly sweet odor of gas around their antebellum home in Lexington, Missouri, for hours on Wednesday afternoon when, around 7:30 p.m., Maria fell asleep in the living room while Travis watched TV.
—
Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2025
She was obliged, as an enslaved woman in the antebellum South, to labor in his household for him, his wife and his children.
—Sara Georgini, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2025
Each depicts womanhood as representative of nationalistic ideals: America for an antebellum audience not yet open to slavery’s end; Lady Interbellum for a contemporary audience in another hostile moment.
—Shantay Robinson, ARTnews.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Far too many people overlook this distinction and end up like the German Christians and the antebellum slave owners, trying to find a heavenly origin for things that have nothing to do with the character of their God.
—B.g. White, Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2025
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Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2025
She was obliged, as an enslaved woman in the antebellum South, to labor in his household for him, his wife and his children.
—Sara Georgini, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2025
Each depicts womanhood as representative of nationalistic ideals: America for an antebellum audience not yet open to slavery’s end; Lady Interbellum for a contemporary audience in another hostile moment.
—Shantay Robinson, ARTnews.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Far too many people overlook this distinction and end up like the German Christians and the antebellum slave owners, trying to find a heavenly origin for things that have nothing to do with the character of their God.
—B.g. White, Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for antebellum
Cite this Entry
“Antebellum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antebellum. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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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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