belle epoque

variants or belle époque
Definition of belle epoquenext
as in renaissance
a period of high artistic or cultural development that 19th-century belle epoque when Paris seemed to be the artistic center of the universe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belle epoque The next day, they were married at General Prim, a historic belle epoque mansion in Colonia Juarez, in front of 165 family members and friends. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 12 July 2024 The hotel opened in June in a belle epoque mansion by the Charente River and is part of the Almae Collection of hotels as well as a member of the hotel network Relais & Chateaux. Stephanie Rosenbloom, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2023 His death, from pneumonia and a pulmonary abscess, was perhaps the final nail in the coffin of the belle epoque, an age of gentility, civility and artistic achievement that had mostly ended with the outbreak of World War I. Charles Arrowsmith, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2022 The opulent luxury of first class that now feels rather like a belle epoque for aviation is being replaced by a more understated desire, Kopola explains. John Walton, CNN, 4 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belle epoque
Noun
  • The paper is part of the beginnings of a small renaissance in California news publishing, inspired in part by years of internal turmoil at the Los Angeles Times.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Feb. 2026
  • San Jose was on the cusp of a renaissance in 2019, but the pandemic shelved numerous development plans, including a mega project on the downtown’s western edge by Google.
    Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Built in 1963 during commercial flight’s golden age, this midcentury-modern landmark was Pan Am’s regional headquarters for decades but has not been in use since the late 1990s.
    Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Welcome to the golden age of travel manipulation.
    Christopher Elliott, Dallas Morning News, 28 Jan. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Belle epoque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belle%20epoque. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!