liberal arts

plural noun

1

: college or university studies (such as language, philosophy, literature, and abstract science) intended to provide chiefly general knowledge and to develop general intellectual capacities (such as reason and judgment) as opposed to professional or vocational skills

2

: the medieval studies comprising the trivium and quadrivium

Did you know?

Why do we call the liberal arts "liberal"?

The liberal in liberal arts is not political. Its roots can be traced to the Latin word liber, meaning “free, unrestricted.” Our language took the term from the Latin liberales artes, which described the education given to members of the upper classes as well as to those with the full rights of a citizen; this education involved training in such subjects as grammar, logic, geometry, etc., as opposed to the education reserved for the lower classes, which involved mechanical or occupational skills. The phrase liberal arts has been part of our language for a very long time, with use dating back to the 14th century.

Examples of liberal arts in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Paradoxically, the drop in American public confidence in the liberal arts comes just as the prestige of US universities around the world is at an all-time high and the number of international students studying in the US has climbed to a record 1.1 million a year. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 28 Dec. 2024

Especially, but not exclusively, for small liberal arts colleges. —David Rosowsky, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024

Washington College, a private liberal arts college in Kent County, is one step closer to finalizing a settlement after a class action lawsuit over data stolen in a ransomware attack was filed this summer. —Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 2 Dec. 2024

Additionally, two Tennessee schools made the top 100 of the best liberal arts colleges rankings, which include 211 schools. —Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

liberal arts

plural noun

: the studies (as literature, philosophy, languages, or history) in a college or university intended to develop the mind in a general way rather than give professional or vocational skills