illiberal

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

adjective

1. narrowminded; bigoted.

   Synonyms: small-minded, hidebound, intolerant, biased

2. Archaic.

   1. not generous in giving; miserly; stingy.

   2. Chiefly Literary.,  without culture or refinement; unscholarly; vulgar.

illiberal

/ ɪˈlɪbərəl /

adjective

1. narrow-minded; prejudiced; bigoted; intolerant

2. not generous; mean

3. lacking in culture or refinement

Other Word Forms

• illiberality noun
• illiberalness noun
• illiberalism noun
• illiberally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of illiberal¹

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

Example Sentences

The result is a legal goulash in which supposedly fundamental human rights are made to contradict one another—a state of affairs that can only create a disordered, profoundly illiberal society.

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India’s illiberal turn has alienated parts of America’s Democratic Party that once applauded the country for its democratic culture and religious pluralism.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has assiduously attacked a liberal world view for at least two decades, transforming the country into what he has variously called an "illiberal democracy" and nation of "Christian liberty".

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Sir Keir's plan runs the risk of being neither fish nor fowl: too unambitious to win back Reform voters; but illiberal enough to alienate some on the left.

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Hundreds gathered outside parliament to protest against the move, which rights campaigners have labelled a "key moment in Hungary's shift toward illiberal governance".

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