liberal arts

plural noun

Definition of liberal arts

1 : the medieval studies comprising the trivium and quadrivium

2 : college or university studies (such as language, philosophy, literature, 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

Recent Examples of liberal arts from the Web

Among those liberal arts schools are Amherst College, with 1,800 students and a fund of $2.2 billion and Williams College, with about 2,100 students and a $2.5 billion endowment.

— janet lorin, Philly.com, "Colleges blast endowment target in Republican tax bill," 3 Nov. 2017
Saint James studied liberal arts at Los Angeles Valley College and at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

— melanie eversley, NBC News, "Synthia Saint James Talks Her Love of Color and Healing Through Art," 29 Oct. 2017
Queens serves more than 2,600 students in programs across the liberal arts and sciences, as well as the professional fields of business, communication, nursing, health and education.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Gambrell Foundation gives $10 million to remake fine arts site at Queens University | Charlotte Observer," 24 Oct. 2017
The Fort Collins Coloradoan reports McNealy was studying liberal arts, art and art history.

— CBS News, "Fort Collins shooting leaves 3 dead near Colorado State University," 20 Oct. 2017
At a small school like Henderson State, the coaching staff saw it as a way to bolster the small liberal arts college's enrollment, which has recently grown to 3,052 undergraduates.

— eli williams, AL.com, "Head to Head: Auburn vs. Arkansas," 19 Oct. 2017
Not surprisingly given his field of history and his abundant strengths on environmental topics, Robbins stresses subjects dealing with the liberal arts and ecology.

— OregonLive.com, "'The People's School' is a must-read history of Oregon State University (review)," 14 Oct. 2017
Beginning in fall 2018, the liberal arts school in Eagle Rock will cover the costs of four years of undergraduate studies for two students, including their tuition, room and board and study abroad and summer internship programs.

— rosanna xia, latimes.com, "Occidental College announces new Obama Scholars program," 28 Sep. 2017
Being at a small liberal arts college with a small pool of straight men with massive, inflated egos will really lower your standards.

— The Cut, "The Receptionist Who Feels Like Such a Millennial," 24 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'liberal arts.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Why do we call the liberal arts "liberal"?

The liberal in liberal arts, a cornerstone of the education of so many, has very little to do with political leanings; 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 freeman and members of the upper classes, and involved training in the mind (grammar, logic, geometry, etc.). The lower classes were educated in the servile arts, which were mechanical or occupational in nature. The phrase liberal arts has been part of our language for a very long time, with use dating back to the 14th century.

First Known Use of liberal arts

14th century

LIBERAL ARTS Defined for English Language Learners

liberal arts

noun

Definition of liberal arts for English Language Learners

: areas of study (such as history, language, and literature) that are intended to give you general knowledge rather than to develop specific skills needed for a profession