Louis XVI

American  

noun

1. 1754–93, king of France 1774–92 (grandson of Louis XV and husband of Marie Antoinette).

---

Louis XVI British  

noun

1. 1754–93, king of France (1774–92); grandson of Louis XV. He married Marie Antoinette in 1770 and they were guillotined during the French Revolution

---

Louis XVI Cultural  

1. The last king of France before the French Revolution; the husband of Marie Antoinette. He at first accepted a change from absolute monarchy (see ancien régime) to constitutional monarchy in France. Then he tried to flee the country and was brought back a prisoner. Radicals, including the Jacobins, assumed control of the revolution and had Louis and Marie Antoinette beheaded for treason.

---

Example Sentences

And there’s something playful about examining the birth of the U.S.—or the “United Provinces of America,” as our early ally Louis XVI put it—from an English perspective, even if Ms. Worsley avoids any pro-Brit bias.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Other than Philippe Pétain, the only other former French head of state to have been jailed was King Louis XVI before his execution in January 1793.

From BBC • Oct. 21, 2025

He ruled as Louis XVI, and perhaps his finest decision was supporting the rebellious American colonists against France’s oldest enemy, the British.

From Slate • May 30, 2025

He noted that Ambassador Benjamin Franklin received a diamond-encrusted snuff box from France’s King Louis XVI, but only with the OK from Congress.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

Dressed in homespun clothes, Ben Franklin is the center of attention at a reception held for him by King Louis XVI and his queen.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen