1
as in parochial
not broad or open in views or opinions
an illiberal society that viewed any artistic depiction of the nude as inherently indecent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in narrow
unwilling to grant other people social rights or to accept other viewpoints
some of the more illiberal residents were opposed to having a hospice for AIDS patients in the neighborhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vulgar
archaic
lacking in refinement or good taste
people who had been scorned as illiberal because they were poor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illiberal
America’s commitment to these liberal values has competed with an alternative set of illiberal values that hold that full American citizenship should be limited by race, ethnicity, gender and class.
—
Philip Klinkner, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2025
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s illiberal democracy in Hungary has inspired many Trump supporters in the United States, including the political strategist Steve Bannon and the tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Pernicious racial politics and illiberal impulses of tribalism have poisoned American society for so long that a decisive repudiation from top down is required.
—Wenyuan Wu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025
In recent years, candidates running for office in France, Germany, and Spain have successfully used the rhetoric of protecting democracy to push back against illiberal or antidemocratic political movements.
—Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illiberal
Philip Klinkner, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2025
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s illiberal democracy in Hungary has inspired many Trump supporters in the United States, including the political strategist Steve Bannon and the tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Pernicious racial politics and illiberal impulses of tribalism have poisoned American society for so long that a decisive repudiation from top down is required.
—Wenyuan Wu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025
In recent years, candidates running for office in France, Germany, and Spain have successfully used the rhetoric of protecting democracy to push back against illiberal or antidemocratic political movements.
—Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illiberal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illiberal
Adjective
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And yet conceding those messy parochial disputes to powers outside the university seems to some to represent no less of a crisis.—
Nathan Heller,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
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Nation-states and their parochial identities would give way to an interdependent and cosmopolitan future.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Thirty narrow stairs lead to City Ballet’s bright, top floor rehearsal studio, with double ballet barres lining three walls, a floor-to-ceiling mirror, and an open ceiling with a treacherously low center beam that high jumping dancers have learned to avoid.—
Marcia Luttrell,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Mar. 2025
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Others may include family offices that offer a narrower range of services.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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However, these arrangements were not mere shakedowns; they were anchored in strategic diplomacy and geopolitical calculus, rather than vulgar profiteering.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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Her Facebook and email had been flooded with vulgar, inflammatory responses.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In North Carolina, a brush fire in the mountains was threatening Tryon and Saluda, small communities in the Blue Ridge Mountains about 40 miles south of Asheville.—
Amy Graff,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2025
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The foyer is often a small space, so a hall tree can be overbearing.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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How long will this continue before reciting bigoted chants and bearing weapons becomes blocking Jews from buildings and harming Israeli students?—
Ellia M Torkian,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2025
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The slogan put the audience in the shoes of a casually bigoted, insubordinate alcoholic who bends the NYPD’s rules in pursuit of drug runners.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
For climate advocates, Forrest citing his mining company’s financial performance might sound a bit crass coming from a billionaire who hops around the world on a private plane.—
Justin Worland,
TIME,
25 Feb. 2025
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Ak — who was previously accused of rape — was immediately faced with accusations of grooming, later admitting to his crass behavior.—
Jessica Bennett,
VIBE.com,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But being able to distinguish when things are challenging versus straight-up unhealthy can keep you from spiraling into petty drama and sneaky backstabbing.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
3 Mar. 2025
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On the page, Serafina is an archetypical Williams heroine — a woman who feels the world too deeply and is therefore brutalized by its harsh truths and petty cruelties (e.g. Maggie the Cat, Blanche DuBois, Amanda Wingfield).—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The head of the religious school was among those killed, said provincial government spokesman Muhammad Ali Saif.—
Reuters,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
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The necklace may have been worn by someone in the Lusatian culture, or during the early days of the West Baltic Kurgan culture, according to the provincial office.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illiberal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illiberal. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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