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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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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Others may include family offices that offer a narrower range of services.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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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
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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Beneath that ice, the light sensors recorded an astronomically small number of photons: an upper range of 0.04 micromoles per square meter per second, a number very close to the theoretical minimum amount of light that photosynthesis can run on.—
Asher Elbein,
WIRED,
2 Mar. 2025
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Despite being a very small heavyweight at 210 pounds, sophomore Daniel Moylan, took third at 285.—
Kevin J. Farmer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Kluwe criticized the movement as bigoted and dangerous to the nation’s institutions in a spirited rant likening MAGA to one of history’s darkest political organizations.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2025
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But Target’s response frustrated some supporters of gay and transgender rights, who said the company caved to bigoted pressure.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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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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The professor said the groups committed crimes, but their offenses were relatively petty by today’s standards: brawling and shakedowns of non-gang members for their bikes or lunch money.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
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With the wave of a hand—or, to be more precise, the tapping of a few overnight posts on social media—American political horizons are being remade in ways that are petty and absurd.—
Penny Abeywardena,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 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 6 Mar. 2025.
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