illiberal

[ ih-lib-er-uhl, ih-lib-ruhl ]
/ ɪˈlɪb ər əl, ɪˈlɪb rəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR illiberal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

narrowminded; bigoted.
Archaic.
  1. not generous in giving; miserly; stingy.
  2. Chiefly Literary. without culture or refinement; unscholarly; vulgar.

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Origin of illiberal

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin illīberālis “ignoble, mean”; see il-2, liberal

OTHER WORDS FROM illiberal

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

Words nearby illiberal

ill-gotten, ill-gotten gains, ill humor, ill humour, Illía, illiberal, Illich, illicit, Illimani, illimitable, illin'
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to illiberal

biased, bigoted, greedy, mean, myopic, parsimonious, partial, prejudiced, stingy, ungenerous, vulgar, hidebound

Example sentences from the Web for illiberal

British Dictionary definitions for illiberal

illiberal
/ (ɪˈlɪbərəl) /

adjective

narrow-minded; prejudiced; bigoted; intolerant
not generous; mean
lacking in culture or refinement

Derived forms of illiberal

illiberality, 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