illiberal

[ ih-lib-er-uhl, ih-lib-ruhl ]

/ ɪˈlɪb ər əl, ɪˈlɪb rəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR illiberal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

narrowminded; bigoted.

Archaic.

not generous in giving; miserly; niggardly; stingy.
Chiefly Literary. without culture or refinement; unscholarly; vulgar.

Nearby words

Origin of illiberal

From the Latin word illīberālis, dating back to 1525–35. See il-², liberal

SYNONYMS FOR illiberal

1. biased, intolerant, hidebound, small-minded.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR illiberal ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsil·lib·er·al·i·ty, il·lib·er·al·ness, il·lib·er·al·ism, nounil·lib·er·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for illiberal

Which was the right thing to be, after all, because communism is as illiberal as fascism.
Lauren Bacall Was Deeply Liberal and Deeply Anti-Communist|Michael Tomasky|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The refugees and civilian leaders believe the illiberal rhetoric from their armed allies reflect fundraising, not ideology.
A New Start To U.S. Policy In Syria Can Save Lives|Tom Perriello|February 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Prohibition (aka, the “war on drugs”) is an illiberal failure.
D.C. Needs a Grassroots Fix That Will Come When Left and Right Find Common Ground|Lawrence Lessig|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These days, instead, we witness elections followed by majoritarian mob rule—what Fareed Zakaria has called “illiberal democracy.”
George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Our Era of Bipartisan Ineptitude|Lloyd Green|July 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

And this worldview clashes not only with the secular left and illiberal right in the government.
Women Of The Wall And The Culture Clash In Israel|Elisheva Goldberg|March 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To what can this unjust, this illiberal feeling be attributed?
Curiosities of Medical Experience|J. G. (John Gideon) Millingen
It is also very proper to banish, both from their hearing and sight, everything which is illiberal and the like.
Politics|Aristotle
The surprising thing is that in this illiberal world they travel so freely.
The Crow's Nest|Clarence Day, Jr.
The motive was illiberal and dishonest, and showed that more than sixty years had not been able to teach him morality.
Lives of the English Poets: Waller, Milton, Cowley|Samuel Johnson
The viceroy does not send the orders which are given him from there; they can not be so illiberal.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXIV, 1630-34|Various

British Dictionary definitions for illiberal

illiberal

/ (ɪˈlɪbərəl) /

adjective

narrow-minded; prejudiced; bigoted; intolerant

not generous; mean

lacking in culture or refinement

Derived Formsilliberality, illiberalness or illiberalism, nounilliberally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for illiberal

illiberal

adj.

1530s, "ungentlemanly, base, mean," from Middle French illiberal (14c.), from Latin illiberalis "ungenerous, mean, sordid; unworthy of a freeman," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + liberalis (see liberal). A sense of "narrow-minded politically; unconcerned with the rights or liberties of others" is attested from 1640s, and might conceivably be revived to take up some of the burden that drags down conservative.

illiberal

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of illiberal

Examples from the Web for illiberal

illiberal

adjective

illiberal