liberalize
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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liberalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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liberalized,
past participle, past
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liberalizing
present participle
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:
EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic told reporters on Tuesday that both sides agreed to liberalize more than 94% of tariff lines covering more than 97% of trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 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
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
To liberalize is to make free, as to free from narrow views or prejudices.
From Orthography As Outlined in the State Course of Study for Illinois by Elmer W. Cavins
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
The study is a fascinating one, and as surely broadens and liberalizes as does knowledge on other studies, collegiate not excepted.
From Harper's Round Table, June 4, 1895 by Various
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
Rising diagnoses and 2008 amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act liberalized eligibility for accommodations.
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
Since 2016, the agency has liberalized its regulations to permit patients to consult a doctor through telemedicine and to obtain the pills without traveling to a clinic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
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
The liberalizing of India’s economy in the 1990s laid the foundation for the remarkable growth since, with millions escaping poverty and spawning a middle class.
From Seattle Times ● May 30, 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
Man has so long been the educated animal that he did not need so much liberalizing.
From The Intelligence of Woman by Walter Lionel George
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