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liberalize

American

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

especially British, liberalise

verb (used with or without object)

liberalized, liberalizing

to make or become liberal.

liberalize British

/ ˈlɪbərəˌlaɪz, ˈlɪbrə- /

verb

to make or become liberal

"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

Other Word Forms

liberalization noun
liberalizer noun
overliberalize verb
unliberalized adjective

Etymology

Origin of liberalize

First recorded in 1765–75; liberal + -ize

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.

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

But they happened amid a nationwide push by manufacturer and restaurant lobbies to liberalize child labor laws in those states and elsewhere.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2023

In 1995, the World Trade Organisation implemented the Agreement on Agriculture to liberalize agricultural trade.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2023

The enemies of progress in the South, he maintained, opposed the education of the masses both of Negroes and whites because of its tendency to liberalize these people.

From The Journal of Negro History, Volume 7, 1922 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023