liberalism

American  

[lib-er-uh-liz-uhm, lib-ruh-] / ˈlɪb ər əˌlɪz əm, ˈlɪb rə- /

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.

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liberalism British  

/ ˈlɪbərəˌlɪzəm, ˈlɪbrə- /

noun

1. liberal opinions, practices, or politics

2. a movement in modern Protestantism that rejects biblical authority

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liberalism Cultural  

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).

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of liberalism

First recorded in 1810–20; liberal + -ism

Example Sentences

The simile is arresting: modern European proponents of welfare-state liberalism likened to a dying class of 19th-century hereditary nobles, confident in their rightness and desperate to rest.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From Salon

Mr. Persico declares Locke “one of liberalism’s founding fathers” for weaving all of these strands together—“the image of God, natural law, reason and rights”—in his political philosophy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit — again, no stronghold of liberalism—powerfully illustrated this point in its 2013 decision of St. Joseph Abbey v.

From Salon

Kloster also appeared to express admiration for German political theorist Carl Schmitt, a staunch Nazi and opponent of liberalism who helped Adolf Hitler consolidate legal and executive power over the entire state.

From Salon

Related Words

• left-winger
• leftist
• liberal
• progressive
• radical