Synonym Chooser

How is the word liberty different from other nouns like it?

The words freedom and license are common synonyms of liberty. While all three words mean "the power or condition of acting without compulsion," liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.

the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

When could freedom be used to replace liberty?

In some situations, the words freedom and liberty are roughly equivalent. However, freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated.

freedom of the press

When is it sensible to use license instead of liberty?

Although the words license and liberty have much in common, license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.

freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of liberty The liberty to set your own course. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2025 Spencer said that vibe came out of a band — which has been filled with Tweedy family pals including members of Finom — at liberty to muck about with the arrangements. Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025 Many reckoned with its ideals; pervasive talk of liberty held particular portent for women’s lives. Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025 Both organizations profess an unwavering commitment to liberty, but stand firmly on either side of a growing debate about book banning in America. Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for liberty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liberty
Noun
  • How self-reflection operates matters because it will always be needed to make wiser choices about our toughest challenges.
    Big Think, Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The styling move — boots tucked cleanly under denim — is a classic styling choice for a reason.
    Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Operators input mission goals on the tablet, and the MATRIX autonomy software generates and executes a flight plan, using onboard sensors and algorithms to navigate safely and avoid obstacles.
    Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The commentary and candor reflected in these conversations are an indication of the types of new narratives that can and will take center stage as female athletes begin to have more ownership and autonomy.
    Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • New York felt comfortable enough to pick up Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option, but keeping him around in the long term with Abdul Carter and Brian Burns probably isn’t the shrewdest.
    Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Avoid overly salty or processed options.
    Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Venezuelan government, led by President Nicolás Maduro, has denounced previous strikes as an act of aggression, vowing to defend Venezuelan sovereignty.
    Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Core questions—borders, sovereignty, refugees—are deferred.
    Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Our egos and self-interests and preferences and quirks – these are very difficult to blend in a cohesive fashion.
    Nick Tzitzon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Each morning, butlers set up our cabana and coolers, remembering our drink and snack preferences.
    Essence, Essence, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • For many Black and Brown people in America, the outdoors was not a site of freedom but of exploitation and fear.
    Vogue, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Without the requirement to protect majority-minority districts, Republicans would have far greater freedom to redraw congressional maps in ways that dilute the voting power of Black and other minority communities—areas that tend to favor Democrats.
    Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The disappointment of losing to Watertown yet again, this time a 2-1 decision in early September that could’ve gone the other way.
    Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
  • In one of the more truly unimaginable comebacks in recent franchise history, the Broncos clawed all the way back from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to down the Giants 30-26 at Empower Field on Sunday.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Sitake’s steadiness helped BYU escape the choppy waters of FBS independence and transition into a Power 4 conference in 2023.
    Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • But excellence and independence are all but impossible to consistently maintain without the steady backing of mentors or salaries, and when the incentives of the internet reward virality no matter how it’s achieved.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Liberty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liberty. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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