ancien régime

American  

[ahn-syan rey-zheem] / ɑ̃ syɛ̃ reɪˈʒim /

noun

French.

anciens régimes plural

1. the political and social system of France before the revolution of 1789.

2. the system of government during this period.

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ancien régime British  

/ ɑ̃sjɛ̃ reʒim /

noun

1. the political and social system of France before the Revolution of 1789

2. a former or outdated regime

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ancien régime Cultural  

1. The political and social order that prevailed in France before the French Revolution, built on a belief in absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• anciens régimes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ancien régime

First recorded in 1790–95; from French; literally, “old rule”

Example Sentences

This wasn’t quite the little white empire-line muslin dress familiar from Jane Austen costume dramas, but it was heading that way from the exoskeleton corsetry of the ancien régime.

From Slate • Jul. 21, 2025

They include exiles and fugitives who served in the ancien régime, as well as some of their children.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2021

It was a building that was all crisp Modernism on the outside, buttery ancien régime within.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2019

Everything is judged according to sacred precepts—“harmony,” “impulsion,” “self-carriage,” “submission”—that have come down intact from the ancien régime.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 1, 2016

The château formed one of a quartette of seignorial residences which at the commencement of the present century belonged to Balthazar Constance Dangé-Dorçay, whose ancestors had been lords of Chouilly under the ancien régime.

From Facts About Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines by Vizetelly, Henry