adjective
- existing or occurring before a war, especially before the American Civil War (1861-1865)
Usage: historical
Examples
- The antebellum South was characterized by plantation agriculture.
- Many antebellum mansions still stand in Charleston today.
- The museum displays artifacts from the antebellum period.
- Antebellum literature often reflected the social tensions of the era.
- The antebellum economy relied heavily on slave labor.
- Historians study antebellum politics to understand the causes of the Civil War.