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 a former or outdated regime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

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

The shows are, by and large, very much like the courtly attire of the ancien régime, where tinkering with outward trinkets of embellishment hid a lack of evolution in cut.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2014

I had pictured Lucretia to myself as at least a countess of the ancien régime, a few of whom still linger on in Montreal and elsewhere.

From The Beckoning Hand and Other Stories by Allen, Grant