illiberal

adjective

il·​lib·​er·​al (ˌ)i(l)-ˈli-b(ə-)rəl 

: not liberal: such as

a

: opposed to political liberalism

especially : restricting individual rights and freedoms

Her latest book … looks at how illiberal leaders use propaganda, corruption, violence and machismo …

—University of Hawaii

Authoritarian or hybrid regimes, no matter how illiberal, will still be treated as legitimate if they can provide security for their subjects and spark economic growth.

—Robert D. Kaplan

With the coming of the cold war, many Westerners were struck by the resemblance of Stalin's Russia to Hitler's Germany. Both were illiberal, highly centralized regimes that seemed to fit into the general designation of totalitarian states.

—Donald Kagan

b

: not broad-minded : bigoted

… illiberal views on sexual conduct.

—Hilary Mantel

… used the migrant crisis to stir up racist, illiberal views.

—Eoin O'Malley

c

archaic : not generous : stingy

… Theobald felt quite good-natured, and sent … even more soup and wine than her usual not illiberal allowance.

—Samuel Butler †1902

d

archaic : lacking culture and refinement

The tall gentleman came to meet her, looking very rigid and grave. But it was a rigidity that had no illiberal meaning.

—Henry James

Drunkenness, the most illiberal … of our vices, was sometimes capable, in a less civilized state of mankind, of occasioning a battle, a war, or a revolution.

—Edward Gibbon

e

archaic : lacking or permitting a lack of a liberal arts education

illiberal occupations

illiberality

(ˌ)i(l)-ˌli-bə-ˈra-lə-tē 

noun

plural illiberalities

illiberally

(ˌ)i(l)-ˈli-b(ə-)rə-lē 

adverb

illiberalness

(ˌ)i(l)-ˈli-b(ə-)rəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of illiberal

• parochial
• small
• petty
• narrow
• sectarian
• insular

Examples of illiberal in a Sentence

an illiberal attitude toward sex

an illiberal society that viewed any artistic depiction of the nude as inherently indecent

Recent Examples on the Web

Scholars of comparative authoritarianism have long identified the selective application of harsh criminal penalties as a hallmark of illiberal governance. —Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2026

As Orbán over the past decade took a forceful stance against migrants and refugees and proclaimed himself Europe's champion of illiberal Christian democracy, Budapest became a magnet for American conservatives. —Catherine Belton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 6 Apr. 2026

The remoteness of the imperial government at Vienna and an increasingly illiberal regime soon aroused discontent in Austria’s Italian province. —Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2026

My own passage into and back out of unbelief—one marked by a close reading of works that earlier illiberal societies had attempted to suppress on religious grounds—has strengthened my liberal commitments. —Christopher Beha, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin illiberalis ignoble, stingy, from Latin in- + liberalis liberal

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for illiberal

• liberal
• neoliberal