liberalize

American  

[lib-er-uh-lahyz, lib-ruh-] / ˈlɪb ər əˌlaɪz, ˈlɪb rə- /

especially British, liberalise

verb (used with or without object)

• liberalizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• liberalized,
  past participle,  past
• liberalizing
  present participle

1. to make or become liberal.

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liberalize British  

/ ˈlɪbərəˌlaɪz, ˈlɪbrə- /

verb

1. to make or become liberal

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• liberalization
  noun
• liberalizer
  noun
• overliberalize
  verb
• unliberalized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• liberalizing
  present
• liberalized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• liberalize
  simple
• liberalizes
  simple
• have liberalized
  perfect
• has liberalized
  perfect
• am liberalizing
  progressive
• are liberalizing
  progressive
• is liberalizing
  progressive
• have been liberalizing
  perfect progressive
• has been liberalizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• liberalized
  simple
• had liberalized
  perfect
• was liberalizing
  progressive
• were liberalizing
  progressive
• had been liberalizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will liberalize
  simple
• will have liberalized
  perfect
• will be liberalizing
  progressive
• will have been liberalizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of liberalize

First recorded in 1765–75; liberal + -ize

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

liberalize liberalizes liberalized liberalizing

Policy elites on both sides of the Atlantic blithely assumed that engagement with the West would lead China to liberalize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

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

“It’s hard to develop a world-class hub if you don’t liberalize the market.”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 16, 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

The government's efforts to liberalize trade include a December 1995 decision to stop requiring exporters to bring their foreign exchange earnings into Nicaragua.

From The 1996 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

Under Canada’s newly liberalized citizenship laws, nearly one in four residents of the New England states may be eligible, along with millions more Americans across the country.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

Tobacco sales will also remain under government control while oil and mining operations will be liberalized, subject to state license.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

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

It passed labor laws that aim to eradicate abuses, and liberalized the visa rules that shackled most foreign residents to their employers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

But in 2011, the group liberalized its policy, urging parents to limit and monitor toddler screen time but not calling for such a rigid ban.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

With the exception of the liberalizing Alexander II, who reigned from 1855 to 1881, that gives the Romanovs too much credit, but the path was plausible enough.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

At the same time, he made great strides in deregulating the economy and liberalizing trade.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025

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

For aught I know, it may possibly have its little share in the onerous task of liberalizing systems of theology.

From A Rambler's lease by Bradford Torrey