bce

IPA/ˌbiː.siːˈiː/
IPA/ˌbiː.siːˈiː/

bce — adverb

1. written after a year or century to show that the date belongs to the period befo

1.adverbB1
Definition

written after a year or century to show that the date belongs to the period before the year 1 CE (Common Era) in the Western calendar system; means the same as BC, but avoids direct reference to Christianity — for example, the philosopher Socrates died in 399 BCE, or the Great Wall sections built around 200 BCE.

Example

The ancient city of Rome was founded, according to legend, in 753 BCE.

in + [year] + BCE — pattern for specifying a year

The philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death in 399 BCE in Athens.

Common collocations
  • in + [year] BCE
  • around + [year] BCE
  • circa + [year] BCE
  • from [year] to [year] BCE
  • as early as [year] BCE
  • as late as [year] BCE
  • by [year] BCE
  • dating back to [year] BCE
Synonyms
  • BC

    older, more traditional abbreviation for 'Before Christ'; identical in meaning but uses explicitly Christian terminology

Antonyms
  • CE

    Common Era; marks years after year 1 in the same calendar system

Grammar Patterns

[year/century] + BCE

Usage Note

BCE is increasingly preferred in academic and historical writing as a neutral alternative to BC (Before Christ). It is placed after the year number — for example, '500 BCE' (not 'BCE 500'). The corresponding label for years after 1 CE is CE (Common Era). When saying a date aloud, speakers usually say 'five hundred BCE' or 'five hundred before the Common Era.'

Common Mistakes

BCE 500
500 BCE
the abbreviation always comes after the number, not before.
The Roman Empire fell in 476 BCE' (factual error)
The Roman Empire fell in 476 CE
check which side of year 1 the event belongs to.

Word family

  • CE
    adverbB1
  • BC
    adverbB1
  • Common Era
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

BC (Before Christ) and BCE (Before Common Era) refer to the same period — years before year 1 of the Western calendar. The difference is purely stylistic: BC is the traditional label carrying explicit Christian reference, while BCE is a secular alternative that gained popularity in academic writing from the late 20th century onward. CE (Common Era) and AD (Anno Domini, Latin for 'in the year of the Lord') refer to years after year 1. AD is placed before the year (AD 1066), whereas CE follows the year (1066 CE), matching the position of BCE. In practice, a historian writing '300 BCE' means the same as '300 BC', and a textbook using BCE for pre-1 dates will use CE for post-1 dates — the two always come as a pair.

BC ↗BCE ↗CE ↗AD ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • as early as
  • as late as
  • dating back to
  • going back to

Prepositions

Etymology

EnglishLatin (via Anno Domini dating system)

BCE is an abbreviation of 'Before Common Era' (or 'Before Current Era'). The concept of a 'Common Era' was first proposed by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler in the early 1600s as a neutral way to refer to the Christian calendar without naming Christ. The term gradually spread through academic and scientific writing, becoming common in textbooks and scholarly works during the second half of the 20th century. Today it is the preferred form in many historical, archaeological, and religious-studies publications.