liberalization

American  

[lib-er-uh-lahy-zey-shuhn, lib-ruh-] / ˌlɪb ər əˌlaɪˈzeɪ ʃən, ˌlɪb rə- /

especially British, liberalisation

noun

1. the state of being or becoming more favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

   The liberalization of Anglican thought predates the rise of Protestant fundamentalism.

2. the act or process of making something, such as laws or regulations, less restrictive, or the state of being or becoming less restrictive.

   The president has proposed liberalization of the criminal code to allow for a reduction in maximum sentences and the introduction of monetary fines for less severe offenses.

   The government is updating existing contracts with some foreign companies to favor liberalization and free market competition.

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Other Word Forms

• overliberalization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of liberalization

liberaliz(e) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Explanation

Liberalization refers to laws or rules being liberalized, or relaxed, by a government. You might talk about the liberalization of marriage laws in states that allow same-sex marriage. Liberalization came to the English language in 1835, from the word liberal. Literally translated, it means the act of making more liberal, or freer. While liberal is used to refer to more than just politics––you can have liberal parents––liberalization is used only when speaking of economic or social policies or other government regulations.

Example Sentences

Thanks to trade liberalization in the aftermath of the Cold War, the Global South went from producing 19% of the world’s gross domestic product in 1990 to 42% in 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

What I said then is that unless you help people move from the jobs that were being destroyed to new jobs, there is no way that trade liberalization wouldn’t have adverse effects.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Still, many in President Trump’s circle of senior advisers had held out hope for China’s economic liberalization.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 1, 2025

One classic argument for agricultural trade liberalization is to let countries exploit their comparative advantages and grow what they grow best.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 26, 2024

In 1989 he resumed parliamentary   elections and gradually permitted political liberalization; in 1994   a formal peace treaty was signed with Israel.

From The 2001 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency