ancien régime

American  

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

noun

French.

plural

anciens régimes

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 a former or outdated regime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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Etymology

Origin of ancien régime

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

Example Sentences

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

But she won admission to France’s royal academy and became one of the leading portraitists of the ancien régime.

From The Guardian • Feb. 12, 2016

All the etiquette and form of the ancien régime obtained here—the furniture, the dress, the cookery, the dances were all French.

From Four Years in Rebel Capitals An Inside View of Life in the Southern Confederacy from Birth to Death by DeLeon, T. C.