liberalize
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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liberalizesimple
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liberalizessimple
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have liberalizedperfect
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has liberalizedperfect
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am liberalizingprogressive
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are liberalizingprogressive
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is liberalizingprogressive
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have been liberalizingperfect progressive
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has been liberalizingperfect progressive
Past
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liberalizedsimple
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had liberalizedperfect
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was liberalizingprogressive
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were liberalizingprogressive
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had been liberalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of liberalize
Explanation
Liberalize means to make more liberal––as in, less authoritarian and more open. State-run economies might liberalize by opening up industry, free enterprise, and trade. Liberalize can also mean "reform." If you have a society that punishes theft by cutting off a culprit's hand, you could liberalize it by changing the punishment to jail time or other less cruel and unusual punishment.
Vocabulary lists containing liberalize
"A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez
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lib, liber
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday announced greater freedoms for small businesses across the country, as the communist government takes steps to liberalize the island's economy in the face of a crippling US blockade.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
In 2022, Nabavi and Hassan Khomeini lobbied the government to liberalize the political system during protests against the compulsory veil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
He said that when he first attended a General Conference in 2008, he was shocked by proposals to liberalize church rules.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 13, 2024
They grant airlines from both countries the right to operate in each other's countries, liberalize airline regulation and impose safety and security standards.
From Reuters ● Aug. 2, 2023
Suriname's economic prospects for the medium term will depend on continued commitment to responsible monetary and fiscal policies and to the introduction of structural reforms to liberalize markets and promote competition.
From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
As China liberalizes, some 5,000 miles away, the constraints relax and Ms. Chang sneaks off to enjoy a little Western decadence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
“These changes continue the long-term trend that liberalizes policies governing gender marker changes on identity documents,” said Jami Taylor, a political science professor at the University of Toledo and an expert on L.G.B.T. politics.
From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2021
State Superintendent of Education John White says the changes will trim weekly out-of-pocket expenses for most low-income families by 60 percent, liberalizes eligibility rules and will be financed through a federal grant.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 7, 2016
The flow of funds out of China has accelerated recently, and the trend may continue as the government liberalizes capital markets and as Chinese businesses become more international and learn how to game the system.
From New York Times ● Aug. 11, 2012
For, as I interpret those sacred ideas, the cause of Christ and the Church is advanced by whatever liberalizes and enriches and enlarges the mind.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 107, September, 1866 by Various
The Zelig-like Baranov character — understood to be a liberalized avatar for inner circle strategist Vladislav Surkov — is an interesting mix of cynicism and opportunity.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
The increase traces primarily to two sources: rising rates of diagnoses, and amendments in 2008 to the Americans with Disabilities Act that liberalized eligibility, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
Attitudes on race, immigration, and gender have liberalized dramatically in recent decades, including among working-class whites.
From Salon ● May 21, 2024
“If the phone call policy was liberalized, I think it might make it difficult to hear important safety announcements,” says Susan Sherren, founder of Couture Trips, a travel agency.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 14, 2023
The irksome security provisions of May-Johnson were liberalized, with penalties reduced to maximum fines of $20,000 and prison terms of up to five years.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
The country is in the midst of an ambitious effort to transform its economy, diversifying beyond energy into AI and technology more broadly while liberalizing women’s rights.
From Barron's ● Mar. 22, 2026
The State Bank of India estimates that liberalizing labor will goose up consumption and augment formal employment by at least 15%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
Meanwhile, Poland’s parliament held a long-awaited debate on liberalizing the country’s restrictive law last month — although many women terminate pregnancies at home with pills mailed from abroad.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
Collor was a dashing, liberalizing politician who became Brazil's first democratically elected president in 1989 after a two-decade military dictatorship, but he resigned three years later after the lower house of Congress impeached him.
From Reuters ● May 31, 2023
In general, it was the liberalizing movement of the revival of learning applied to the church.
From History of Human Society by Blackmar, Frank W. (Frank Wilson)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
