liberation

noun

lib·​er·​a·​tion ˌli-bə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the act of liberating : the state of being liberated

2

: a movement seeking equal rights and status for a group

women's liberation

liberationist

ˌli-bə-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nist 

noun

Synonyms of liberation

• emancipation

Examples of liberation in a Sentence

The liberation of the city took weeks.

the liberation of the slaves was one of the key results of the Civil War

Recent Examples on the Web

The director Peter Sellars, who staged the piece’s first production last year, also worked with me on assembling the libretto, and Peter is a force of liberation. — Matthew Aucoin, The New York Review of Books, 10 Oct. 2026

Pica said a red lip felt like the most direct way to express that sense of liberation. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

Long before then, Basquiat had become a legend, an icon of a decade that fused the liberations of Downtown with the frustrations of Uptown. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026

But since these girls don’t have anything that looks like conventional adulthood waiting for them, the film wisely steers them away from maturity and toward a kind of spiritual liberation. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liberacion "deliverance," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "action of freeing," borrowed from Latin līberātiōn-, līberātiō "setting free, release, acquittal," from līberāre "to give free status to (a slave), release" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at liberate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing liberation

• liberation theology

Rhymes for liberation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

liberation

noun

lib·​er·​a·​tion ˌlib-ə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the act of liberating : the state of being liberated

2

: a movement seeking equal rights for a group