liberalism

[lib-er-uh-liz-uhm, lib-ruh-]

noun

1. the quality or state of being liberal, as in behavior or attitude.

2. a political or social philosophy advocating the freedom of the individual, parliamentary systems of government, nonviolent modification of political, social, or economic institutions to assure unrestricted development in all spheres of human endeavor, and governmental guarantees of individual rights and civil liberties.

3. (sometimes initial capital letter),  the principles and practices of a liberal party in politics.

4. a movement in modern Protestantism that emphasizes freedom from tradition and authority, the adjustment of religious beliefs to scientific conceptions, and the development of spiritual capacities.

liberalism

/ ˈlɪbərəˌlɪzəm, ˈlɪbrə- /

noun

1. liberal opinions, practices, or politics

2. a movement in modern Protestantism that rejects biblical authority

liberalism

1. In the twentieth century, a viewpoint or ideology associated with free political institutions and religious toleration, as well as support for a strong role of government in regulating capitalism and constructing the welfare state (see also welfare state).

Other Word Forms

• liberalist noun
• liberalistic adjective
• antiliberalism noun
• antiliberalist noun
• antiliberalistic adjective
• nonliberalism noun
• semiliberalism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of liberalism¹

First recorded in 1810–20; liberal + -ism

Example Sentences

He has taught generations of principled conservatives from his position at Princeton, standing athwart the Rawlsian liberalism regnant in the academy.

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Rather, the dalliance between left and right is taking place at the margins where a mutual disgust for liberalism fuels the romance.

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Unlike Marxism or reform liberalism, it has no systematic ideological program; rather, it is a set of dispositions and attitudes.

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In this manner, Protestantism begat modern liberalism and individualism.

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Two weeks before Clinton won the presidency, Time magazine reported that his “economic vision” was “perhaps best described as a call for a We decade; not the old I-am-my-brother’s-keeper brand of traditional Democratic liberalism.”

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Related Words

• left-winger www.thesaurus.com
• leftist 
• liberal 
• progressive 
• radical