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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illiberal
Democracy is in recession in all quarters of the globe, including in the West, where political centrism has been steadily losing ground to illiberal populism.
—
Charles A. Kupchan, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
Carl Schmitt, the twentieth century’s giant of illiberal thought, drew his theories from his personal experience living in the Weimar Republic.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
Critics of India claim the plots reflect the uniquely illiberal quality of the Modi government.
—Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2024
These illiberal tactics, however, attracted widespread condemnation, above all from militant anti-fascists like Matteotti and his left-wing colleagues in the Chamber.
—Amy King & Brian J Griffith / Made By History, TIME, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for illiberal 
Charles A. Kupchan, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
Carl Schmitt, the twentieth century’s giant of illiberal thought, drew his theories from his personal experience living in the Weimar Republic.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
Critics of India claim the plots reflect the uniquely illiberal quality of the Modi government.
—Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2024
These illiberal tactics, however, attracted widespread condemnation, above all from militant anti-fascists like Matteotti and his left-wing colleagues in the Chamber.
—Amy King & Brian J Griffith / Made By History, TIME, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for illiberal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illiberal
Adjective
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This may seem like an impossible task in a world where politics is becoming more divisive, foreign policy more parochial, and social media bubbles more impenetrable.—
Harvey Whitehouse,
WIRED,
23 Jan. 2025
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For more than a century, religious education had been deeply entrenched in the state; in Cleveland, the parochial system was one of the largest in the country.—
Alec MacGillis,
ProPublica,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The large table serves as the primary crafting area; the narrow wood desk is her workstation.—
Ella Field,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Jan. 2025
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Think narrow sections with extra weight in the middle to give you more control for day-to-day styling at home.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Her involuntary outbursts cause Dupree to shout a number of things, such as comments about people around her and more vulgar language.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
17 Jan. 2025
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Nearly 100% of the first film’s grosses were made in the U.S. — so few expected the spooky sequel about a vulgar poltergeist to connect in the territories across the pond and beyond this time around either.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Bad decisions — the kind that can be, if not reversed, at least remedied — are an essential part of adolescence: lapses that teach us about our desires, our impulses, our weaknesses, our essential character, and leave us with no greater damage than a throbbing hangover or a small, smudgy tattoo.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
25 Jan. 2025
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The photo showed small patches of raw, bloody skin on the knuckles of his index, middle and ring fingers on his left hand.—
Daniela Avila,
People.com,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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We were just expected to be OK with it, to shove down our discomfort, our embarrassment, our fear, because standing up for ourselves would mean being labeled as intolerant or hateful or bigoted.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
31 Jan. 2025
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Religious groups and some Republican politicians, including Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, defended his right to his opinion and others slammed his comments as bigoted and anti-gay.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Trump — with his crass words and absurd policy proposals — has had progressives playing defense for nearly the last decade.—
Brea Baker,
refinery29.com,
20 Jan. 2025
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Of course, with Burr, there’s still plenty of lines crossed and joyously crass humor.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Organized theft is no petty crime; these are not one-off crimes of desperation or a mom lifting a can of formula to feed her baby.—
Cailey Locklair,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Jan. 2025
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In November 2023, Pryer filed a motion to terminate her remaining two years of probation based on a recent court ruling which held that a defendant convicted of a single petty offense may not be sentenced to both imprisonment and probation.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The provincial and constitutional courts ruled against them.—
Stephanie Yang,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other government ministers met with provincial premiers to discuss Trump's pledge to impose steep tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports after he is sworn in as president in January.—
Nia Williams and Ismail Shakil,
USA TODAY,
14 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near illiberal
Cite this Entry
“Illiberal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illiberal. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
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