ancien régime

American  

[ahn-syan rey-zheem] / ɑ̃ sjɛ̃ 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.

---

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 a former or outdated regime

---

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.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• anciens régimes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ancien régime

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ancien régime

The fresh beauty of Vigée Le Brun’s portrait of an ancien régime countess, its nonchalance hinting at the revolution to come.

From New York Times ● Sep. 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

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