liberalism

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR liberalism ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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.

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

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.

Origin of liberalism

First recorded in 1810–20; liberal + -ism

Related formslib·er·al·ist, noun, adjectivelib·er·al·is·tic, adjectivean·ti·lib·er·al·ism, nounan·ti·lib·er·al·ist, noun, adjectivean·ti·lib·er·al·is·tic, adjectivenon·lib·er·al·ism, nounsem·i·lib·er·al·ism, noun

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

Related Words for liberalism

liberalism, liberal, leftist, indulgence, magnanimity, sensitivity, understanding, leniency, patience, mercifulness, toleration, altruism, lenity, benevolence, endurance, grace, humanity, permission, compassion, liberality

Examples from the Web for liberalism

Contemporary Examples of liberalism

Sometimes democracy and liberalism are about speaking up about the great issues, like a massive foreign war.
A Few Great Men Too Many: Aaron Sorkin Doesn’t Think You Can Handle the Truth
Arthur Chu
December 21, 2014
From its founding in 1914, The New Republic has been the flagship and forum of American liberalism.
Facebook Prince Purges The New Republic: Inside the Destruction of a 100-Year-Old Magazine
Lloyd Grove
December 5, 2014
Liberalism in the United States today is the politics that dares not speak its name.
American Dreams: How Bush Shaped Our Reading of Roth’s ‘The Plot Against America’
Nathaniel Rich
November 23, 2014
Usually, though, old-fashioned Liberalism is very much at the fore in Puck.
The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians
Anthony Haden-Guest
November 2, 2014
Even so, Maher has identified a problem within Western liberalism today.
Bill Maher 1, Ben Affleck 0
Michael Tomasky
October 5, 2014

Historical Examples of liberalism

I was ashamed of him, and sick of Liberalism, as I sat there.
The Coryston Family
Mrs. Humphry Ward
A Liberalism worthy of the word should lift its head and see new paths.
Another Sheaf
John Galsworthy
Adelaide had a Federation-wide reputation for left-wing neo-Marxist "liberalism."
Oomphel in the Sky
Henry Beam Piper
Even the dreadful Hamidian tyranny could not kill Turkish liberalism.
The New World of Islam
Lothrop Stoddard
They call us Rationalists; take care you don't fall into Liberalism.
Loss and Gain
John Henry Newman

British Dictionary definitions for liberalism

liberalism

noun

liberal opinions, practices, or politics

a movement in modern Protestantism that rejects biblical authority

Derived Formsliberalist, noun, adjectiveliberalistic, adjective

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 liberalism

1819, from liberal + -ism.

liberalism in Culture

liberalism

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).