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

Queens University of Charlotte was founded as a liberal arts undergraduate institution for women. —Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 28 Jan. 2026

The look is grown up, a little hot liberal arts professor, comprising a navy cotton-poplin overcoat, a grey cashmere knit, a shirt, woollen trousers, and lime-green Collapse sneakers. —Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2026

In 2012 the Business & Society Program launched the Aspen Undergraduate Consortium to help faculty design effective interdisciplinary liberal arts and business curriculums. —Benjamin Wolff, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Deborah Sengupta Stith moved to Austin as a wayward liberal arts graduate in the ‘90s and promptly fell into the city’s music scene. —Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liberal artes, borrowed from Medieval Latin artēs līberāles, going back to Latin, "pursuits, studies appropriate for a free man" — more at art entry 1, liberal entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for liberal arts

• cartes
• carts
• charts
• darts
• farts
• harts
• hearts
• marts
• partes
• parts
• smarts
• starts

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