liberation
Americannoun
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the act of liberating or the state of being liberated.
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the act or fact of gaining equal rights or full social or economic opportunities for a particular group.
noun
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a liberating or being liberated
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the seeking of equal status or just treatment for or on behalf of any group believed to be discriminated against
women's liberation
animal liberation
Other Word Forms
- liberationist noun
- nonliberation noun
- postliberation adjective
- preliberation noun
Etymology
Origin of liberation
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin līberātiōn-, stem of līberātiō; equivalent to liberate + -ion
Explanation
Liberation means the setting free of someone or something. Wild animals raised in captivity are often unprepared for their liberation when they are released back into the wild. You'll notice right off the bat that liberation is related to the noun liberty — as in "liberty and justice for all." The difference is that liberation refers specifically to the act of being made free, of going from having no freedom to having it. Famous moments of liberation include Europe's liberation from the Nazis, the slaves' liberation from slavery in the U.S., and South Africa's liberation from the oppression of apartheid.
Vocabulary lists containing liberation
Stargirl
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"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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Passover Vocabulary
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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.
The siblings begin to awaken to the possibility of their liberation, from both the Communist regime and the paralyzing taboos of their aristocratic upbringing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
MarketWatch took a look at three essential areas as liberation day turns one year old.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
Then, he reveals that they’re just one squadron in the never-ending war for liberation.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
"If the RSF's air defence infrastructure collapses, Sudan's liberation could be imminent," the Turkish defence expert Yusuf Akbaba posted on X.
From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026
“I was transferred to the Stutthof concentration camp just a month before liberation, and I met friends of his, who told me that he had died the day before I arrived.”
From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren
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.
