Reign of Terror

American  

noun

1. a period of the French Revolution, from about March, 1793, to July, 1794, during which many persons were ruthlessly executed by the ruling faction.

2. (lowercase) any period or situation of ruthless administration or oppression.

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Reign of Terror British  

noun

1. the period of Jacobin rule during the French Revolution, during which thousands of people were executed for treason (Oct 1793–July 1794)

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Reign of Terror Cultural  

1. A phase of the French Revolution aimed at destroying all alleged pockets of resistance to the revolution. Robespierre was a leader of the Terror, during which thousands were sent to the guillotine.

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Example Sentences

The FBI deemed that the Reign of Terror also lasted only five years in the '20s when in reality it had lasted about two decades.

From Salon • Oct. 9, 2023

Known as the Reign of Terror, it sparked a major FBI investigation involving J Edgar Hoover.

From BBC • May 15, 2023

My feelings for this greatest of Neoclassical artists, who spun Roman precedents into propaganda for the Reign of Terror and then for Napoleon, have cycled over many years between adulation and queasiness.

From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2022

The composer, who was shocked by how the Reign of Terror in Paris had voided the ideals of the French Revolution, worked for nine years on his opera, far longer than on any other composition.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2022

As she spoke, I realized that the Reign of Terror had ravaged—still ravaged—generations.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann