liberation
Americannoun
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the act of liberating or the state of being liberated.
-
the act or fact of gaining equal rights or full social or economic opportunities for a particular group.
noun
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a liberating or being liberated
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the seeking of equal status or just treatment for or on behalf of any group believed to be discriminated against
women's liberation
animal liberation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of liberation
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin līberātiōn-, stem of līberātiō; equivalent to liberate + -ion
Explanation
Liberation means the setting free of someone or something. Wild animals raised in captivity are often unprepared for their liberation when they are released back into the wild. You'll notice right off the bat that liberation is related to the noun liberty — as in "liberty and justice for all." The difference is that liberation refers specifically to the act of being made free, of going from having no freedom to having it. Famous moments of liberation include Europe's liberation from the Nazis, the slaves' liberation from slavery in the U.S., and South Africa's liberation from the oppression of apartheid.
Vocabulary lists containing liberation
Stargirl
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"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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Passover Vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
My hope for this country: Revolution, liberation, abolition, community care, mutual aid, public services that actually allow people to thrive instead of like constant competition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Every Sunday, percussionists, dancers and everyday residents of the US capital gather in a Washington park for a drum circle -- a decades-old tradition that historically celebrated Black liberation.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
There he began developing the theories that would direct his life and work—the idea, for instance, that a “talented tenth” would lead black America to liberation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
A minute or so after that, Tynecastle erupted to the sound of liberation from the torture of that first half.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
It’s also possible that their friendship developed while they both fought for the liberation of the Philippines.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The early 1960s were a manic hinge moment in American culture, between the Cold War and the Vietnam War, civil rights and Black power, old repressions and burgeoning liberations.
From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2022
Indigenous communities - many disenchanted by years of unmet government promises - have long histories of occupations, which they call liberations.
From Reuters ● Sep. 30, 2022
The problem is that societies frequently reconsider these essential stories as they undergo invasions, liberations, revolutions, and quieter forms of evolution and change.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2021
“The Help” relegates the turbulence of the civil-rights era to a chaste backdrop for the vibrant liberations of its affluent housewives.
From The New Yorker ● May 31, 2019
Towards the end of 1827, we considered that December might be fixed on as the anniversary of some new liberations; but the month expired, and nothing of the kind occurred.
From My Ten Years' Imprisonment by Roscoe, Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
