antebellum
adjective
an·te·bel·lum ˌan-ti-ˈbe-ləm 
: existing before a war
especially : existing before the American Civil War
antebellum houses
the antebellum South
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Morton's research was co-opted by White supremacists in the antebellum South to argue for the preservation of slavery based on ideas that Black people were inherently inferior. 
Jacquelyne Germain, CNN, 13 Aug. 2022 His views felt like something out of the antebellum South. The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 July 2022 Located on Hampton Island overlooking the North Newport River, the estate resembles an antebellum compound. Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 24 Aug. 2022 The antebellum mansions and brick townhouses add a sense of charm that can't be beat. Kara Thompson, Good Housekeeping, 18 Aug. 2022 Carolina Gold rice was the Lowcountry’s major cash crop during the colonial and antebellum eras. Tracey Teo, ajc, 21 July 2022 Panther Burn Cottage is located on the Belmont Plantation, where slaves were used to harvest cotton during the antebellum period leading up to the Civil War. Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 Ed Sheeran: None of these artists would exist without it, and the musical ancestors of all three can be precisely traced back to the Deep South of the United States during the antebellum period. Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 31 July 2022 Few sites across the 37,000 places across New York City’s five boroughs with landmark protection are related to the Underground Railroad or antebellum Black history. Ramisa Rob, NBC News, 19 July 2022 See More
Jacquelyne Germain, CNN, 13 Aug. 2022 His views felt like something out of the antebellum South. The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 July 2022 Located on Hampton Island overlooking the North Newport River, the estate resembles an antebellum compound. Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 24 Aug. 2022 The antebellum mansions and brick townhouses add a sense of charm that can't be beat. Kara Thompson, Good Housekeeping, 18 Aug. 2022 Carolina Gold rice was the Lowcountry’s major cash crop during the colonial and antebellum eras. Tracey Teo, ajc, 21 July 2022 Panther Burn Cottage is located on the Belmont Plantation, where slaves were used to harvest cotton during the antebellum period leading up to the Civil War. Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 Ed Sheeran: None of these artists would exist without it, and the musical ancestors of all three can be precisely traced back to the Deep South of the United States during the antebellum period. Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 31 July 2022 Few sites across the 37,000 places across New York City’s five boroughs with landmark protection are related to the Underground Railroad or antebellum Black history. Ramisa Rob, NBC News, 19 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin ante bellum before the war
First Known Use
1826, in the meaning defined above