illiberal
Americanadjective
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narrowminded; bigoted.
- Synonyms:
- small-minded, hidebound, intolerant, biased
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Archaic.
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not generous in giving; miserly; stingy.
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Chiefly Literary. without culture or refinement; unscholarly; vulgar.
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adjective
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narrow-minded; prejudiced; bigoted; intolerant
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not generous; mean
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lacking in culture or refinement
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of illiberal
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin illīberālis “ignoble, mean”; see il- 2, liberal
Explanation
Someone who's illiberal is close-minded and intolerant. Your illiberal grandfather might constantly complain about "kids today with their long hair and tattoos." An illiberal person tends to have old-fashioned values and opinions and isn't usually interested in considering other perspectives. It's illiberal to dismiss unfamiliar religious beliefs — or the lack of any religious belief — as just plain wrong. The original, 1500s meaning of illiberal was "ungentlemanly," from the Latin word illiberalis, "ungenerous, mean, or unworthy of a freeman." The "narrow-minded" sense of the word is from the mid-1600s.
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.
John Dickerson: What we’ve been discussing somewhat, is the ways in which people become illiberal, even though they think they’re champions of liberalism.
From Slate • May 16, 2026
Magyar, a former government insider turned critic, is offering voters a radical break from Orban's self-described "illiberal" system, vowing to crack down on corruption and improve public services.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Courageous in his commitment to scientific truth, he espouses opinions that can strike us as elitist and illiberal today.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2024
Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Geoff Barton called MSLs a "profoundly illiberal policy".
From BBC • Nov. 28, 2023
It was John Hunter, however, who first established the system on any thing like a rational basis, although his arguments on the subject have led to much doubt and illiberal controversy.
From Curiosities of Medical Experience by Millingen, J. G. (John Gideon)
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.
