liberalism

[lib-er-uh-liz-uhm, lib-ruh-]

noun

1. the quality or state of being liberal, as in behavior or attitude.

2. a political or social philosophy advocating the freedom of the individual, parliamentary systems of government, nonviolent modification of political, social, or economic institutions to assure unrestricted development in all spheres of human endeavor, and governmental guarantees of individual rights and civil liberties.

3. (sometimes initial capital letter),  the principles and practices of a liberal party in politics.

4. a movement in modern Protestantism that emphasizes freedom from tradition and authority, the adjustment of religious beliefs to scientific conceptions, and the development of spiritual capacities.

liberalism

/ ˈlɪbərəˌlɪzəm, ˈlɪbrə- /

noun

1. liberal opinions, practices, or politics

2. a movement in modern Protestantism that rejects biblical authority

liberalism

1. In the twentieth century, a viewpoint or ideology associated with free political institutions and religious toleration, as well as support for a strong role of government in regulating capitalism and constructing the welfare state (see also welfare state).

Other Word Forms

• liberalist noun
• liberalistic adjective
• antiliberalism noun
• antiliberalist noun
• antiliberalistic adjective
• nonliberalism noun
• semiliberalism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of liberalism¹

First recorded in 1810–20; liberal + -ism

Example Sentences

In 2014 he said that the "illiberal state" he was constructing "does not reject the fundamental principles of liberalism such as freedom… but it does not make this ideology the central element of state organisation".

From BBC

Barack Obama was pulling ahead in polling, and the cultural tides were starting to turn in favor of the late aughts’ flavor of liberalism.

From Salon

Delegate Jane Baulch-Enloe, a middle school teacher from Pleasant Hill in the Bay Area, said she wasn’t sure that California’s particular brand of liberalism will sell on the national stage.

From Los Angeles Times

This was a movement looking to reshape the whole European project with its own brand of conservativism, jettisoning the old EU liberalism.

From BBC

Last August, Putin introduced fast-track shared values visa for those fleeing Western liberalism.

From BBC

Related Words

• left-winger www.thesaurus.com
• leftist 
• liberal 
• progressive 
• radical