liberalism

[lib-er-uh-liz-uhm, lib-ruh-]

noun

1. the quality or state of being liberal, as in behavior or attitude.

2. a political or social philosophy advocating the freedom of the individual, parliamentary systems of government, nonviolent modification of political, social, or economic institutions to assure unrestricted development in all spheres of human endeavor, and governmental guarantees of individual rights and civil liberties.

3. (sometimes initial capital letter),  the principles and practices of a liberal party in politics.

4. a movement in modern Protestantism that emphasizes freedom from tradition and authority, the adjustment of religious beliefs to scientific conceptions, and the development of spiritual capacities.

liberalism

/ ˈlɪbərəˌlɪzəm, ˈlɪbrə- /

noun

1. liberal opinions, practices, or politics

2. a movement in modern Protestantism that rejects biblical authority

liberalism

1. In the twentieth century, a viewpoint or ideology associated with free political institutions and religious toleration, as well as support for a strong role of government in regulating capitalism and constructing the welfare state (see also welfare state).

Other Word Forms

• liberalist noun
• liberalistic adjective
• antiliberalism noun
• antiliberalist noun
• antiliberalistic adjective
• nonliberalism noun
• semiliberalism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of liberalism¹

First recorded in 1810–20; liberal + -ism

Example Sentences

Two weeks before Clinton won the presidency, Time magazine reported that his “economic vision” was “perhaps best described as a call for a We decade; not the old I-am-my-brother’s-keeper brand of traditional Democratic liberalism.”

Read more on Salon

Exploiting the country’s history of racism to maintain power and influence has become liberalism’s modus operandi.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

His enthusiasm for windmills seems to come from a grand vision of coastal liberalism, not the energy needs of his state.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But as the Kremlin's relationship with the West soured and Moscow's attacks on Western liberalism and "non-traditional values" intensified, so did Russia's beef with the Eurovision Song Contest.

Read more on BBC

For Lawrence — whose personal journey would transform him from New Deal liberalism to solid Republican conservatism — a scientific lab was no place for anything but pure science, uninfected by politics.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• left-winger www.thesaurus.com
• leftist 
• liberal 
• progressive 
• radical