Meanings
- not comparableOf the time period prior to a war.
A renewed sense of national pride arose in Hitler's antebellum Germany.
- USnot comparableOf the period prior to the American Civil War, especially in reference to the culture of the southern states.
See also: Antebellum South
3 more examples
Slavery was an accepted part of antebellum plantation life.
There was no single characteristic house style during the antebellum period, but the elegant plantation homes built in the American South, with their central entrances, balconies, columns, and formal ballrooms, came closest to representing a discrete architectural style for the period.
2004, James M. Volo, Dorothy Denneen Volo, The Antebellum Period, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 115Across the street from the church, which is lovingly known as Mother Emanuel, is Marion Park. Until recently, this where a statue of Vice President John C. Calhoun, a slaveowner and staunch supporter of antebellum plantation slavery, stood.
2020 August 31, Dartinia Hull, “‘Not everything is pretty here’: Charleston tourism reckons with slavery and racism”, in CNN
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivebelonging to a period before a war especially the American Civil War
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinante bellum
- Englishantebellum
Borrowed from Latin ante bellum (literally “before the war”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan d'avantguerra
- d'avantguerraof a period of time prior to a war
Chinese Mandarin 戰前的 /战前的
- 戰前的 /战前的of a period of time prior to a war
Czech předválečný
- předválečnýof a period of time prior to a war
Danish førkrigs-
- førkrigs-of a period of time prior to a war
Dutch vooroorlogs
- vooroorlogsof a period of time prior to a war
Esperanto antaŭmilita
- antaŭmilitaof a period of time prior to a war
Estonian sõjaeelne
- sõjaeelneof a period of time prior to a war
Finnish sotaa edeltävä
- sotaa edeltäväof a period of time prior to a war
French d'avant-guerre
- d'avant-guerreof a period of time prior to a war
German Vorkriegszeit, Vorkriegs-
- Vorkriegszeitof a period of time prior to a war
- Vorkriegs-of a period of time prior to a war
Greek προπολεμικός
- προπολεμικός (propolemikós)of a period of time prior to a war
Irish réamhchogaidh
- réamhchogaidhof a period of time prior to a war
Italian anteguerra, prebellico
- anteguerraof a period of time prior to a war
- prebellicoof a period of time prior to a war
Japanese 戦前
- 戦前of a period of time prior to a war
Korean 전쟁 전의
- 전쟁 전의 (jeonjaeng jeonui)of a period of time prior to a war
Norwegian Bokmål førkrigs-
- førkrigs-of a period of time prior to a war
Polish przedwojenny
- przedwojennyof a period of time prior to a war
Portuguese pré-guerra, pré-bélico
- pré-guerraof a period of time prior to a war
- pré-bélicoof a period of time prior to a war
Romanian antebelic
- antebelicof a period of time prior to a war
Russian довое́нный
- довое́нный (dovojénnyj)of a period of time prior to a war
Spanish prebélico
- prebélicoof a period of time prior to a war
Swedish förkrigs-
- förkrigs-of a period of time prior to a war
Turkish savaştan evvel
- savaştan evvelof a period of time prior to a war
Vietnamese tiền chiến
- tiền chiếnof a period of time prior to a war
Welsh cyn y rhyfel
- cyn y rhyfelof a period of time prior to a war
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with antebellum
Anagrams
Cite this entry
antebellum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antebellum
“antebellum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antebellum. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “antebellum,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antebellum.
Source: antebellum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.