liberalize

verb

lib·​er·​al·​ize ˈli-b(ə-)rə-ˌlīz How to pronounce liberalize (audio)
liberalized; liberalizing

transitive verb

: to make liberal or more liberal

intransitive verb

: to become liberal or more liberal
liberalization noun
liberalizer noun

Examples of liberalize in a Sentence

The country's immigration policies have begun to liberalize.
Recent Examples on the Web In its recent report, the National Academy of Sciences cited the high proportion of immigrants among Nobel Prize winners as one of several arguments for liberalizing U.S. immigration laws and regulations. Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 But even in the face of such pressure, neither Hong Kong’s nor Singapore’s government seems particularly keen to liberalize. Chris Lau, CNN, 13 Sep. 2024 Yet after Gaidar liberalized price controls in January 1992, the same result could be achieved with almost no planning at all: consumer demand was enough to keep the stores full. Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 10 July 2024 While her key policy stances differ little from the president, his Veep, Kamala Harris is a California liberal, likely to put more emphasis on minorities in areas such as education and housing, on working class welfare programs and on such liberal measures as liberalizing marijuana. David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for liberalize 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liberalize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of liberalize was in 1765

Dictionary Entries Near liberalize

Cite this Entry

“Liberalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberalize. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

liberalize

verb
lib·​er·​al·​ize ˈlib(-ə)-rə-ˌlīz How to pronounce liberalize (audio)
liberalized; liberalizing
: to make or become liberal or more liberal
liberalization noun

More from Merriam-Webster on liberalize

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