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
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The current main house was built in 1936 in Georgian Revival style replacing earlier structures but still maintains antebellum aesthetics with historic furnishings.
—
Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025
Egyptian motifs, suggesting not ancient death cults — very pagan — but eternity as a general proposition, decorated lots of antebellum American cemeteries, among them Mount Auburn in Cambridge.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 19 July 2025
His reimagining of Mark Twain’s classic Huckleberry Finn foregrounds James, a man trying to deliver himself and his family from a life of enslavement in the antebellum South.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025
This pursuit of knowledge—especially science—persisted into antebellum America.
—Sabrina Schaeffer, Oc Register, 4 July 2025
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Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025
Egyptian motifs, suggesting not ancient death cults — very pagan — but eternity as a general proposition, decorated lots of antebellum American cemeteries, among them Mount Auburn in Cambridge.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 19 July 2025
His reimagining of Mark Twain’s classic Huckleberry Finn foregrounds James, a man trying to deliver himself and his family from a life of enslavement in the antebellum South.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025
This pursuit of knowledge—especially science—persisted into antebellum America.
—Sabrina Schaeffer, Oc Register, 4 July 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 9 Sep. 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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