liberalization

American  

[lib-er-uh-lahy-zey-shuhn, lib-ruh-] / ˌlɪb ər əˌlaɪˈzeɪ ʃən, ˌlɪb rə- /

especially British, liberalisation

noun

1. the state of being or becoming more favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

   The liberalization of Anglican thought predates the rise of Protestant fundamentalism.

2. the act or process of making something, such as laws or regulations, less restrictive, or the state of being or becoming less restrictive.

   The president has proposed liberalization of the criminal code to allow for a reduction in maximum sentences and the introduction of monetary fines for less severe offenses.

   The government is updating existing contracts with some foreign companies to favor liberalization and free market competition.

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Other Word Forms

• overliberalization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of liberalization

liberaliz(e) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Explanation

Liberalization refers to laws or rules being liberalized, or relaxed, by a government. You might talk about the liberalization of marriage laws in states that allow same-sex marriage. Liberalization came to the English language in 1835, from the word liberal. Literally translated, it means the act of making more liberal, or freer. While liberal is used to refer to more than just politics––you can have liberal parents––liberalization is used only when speaking of economic or social policies or other government regulations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

liberalization

What I said then is that unless you help people move from the jobs that were being destroyed to new jobs, there is no way that trade liberalization wouldn’t have adverse effects.

From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026

Twenty years later, students demonstrated against press censorship and called for liberalization and reforms.

From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2026

A period of liberalization in the 1990s opened the door for American companies to expand their Venezuela operations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026

Still, many in President Trump’s circle of senior advisers had held out hope for China’s economic liberalization.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025

The liberalization of Macao's gambling monopoly may   contribute to GDP growth, as the three companies awarded gambling   licenses have pledged to invest $2.2 billion - roughly 33% of GDP -   in the territory.

From The 2003 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency