ILLIBERAL Synonyms: 140 Similar and Opposite Words

illiberal

adjective

(ˌ)i(l)-ˈli-b(ə-)rəl

as in parochial

not broad or open in views or opinions an illiberal society that viewed any artistic depiction of the nude as inherently indecent

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in narrow

unwilling to grant other people social rights or to accept other viewpoints some of the more illiberal residents were opposed to having a hospice for AIDS patients in the neighborhood

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in vulgar

archaic lacking in refinement or good taste people who had been scorned as illiberal because they were poor

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of illiberal Scholars of comparative authoritarianism have long identified the selective application of harsh criminal penalties as a hallmark of illiberal governance. —

Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2026 As Orbán over the past decade took a forceful stance against migrants and refugees and proclaimed himself Europe's champion of illiberal Christian democracy, Budapest became a magnet for American conservatives. —

Catherine Belton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 6 Apr. 2026 The remoteness of the imperial government at Vienna and an increasingly illiberal regime soon aroused discontent in Austria’s Italian province. —

Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2026 My own passage into and back out of unbelief—one marked by a close reading of works that earlier illiberal societies had attempted to suppress on religious grounds—has strengthened my liberal commitments. —

Christopher Beha, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for illiberal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for illiberal

Adjective

Research shows the disparity between vaccination coverage in private and parochial/religious versus public schools is that private and parochial/religious schools tend to have higher rates of exemptions to vaccinations for moral and religious beliefs.

— Kar-Hai Chu, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
But quietly, the third-year forward had put himself in position for a more parochial reserve reward, one that caught him unaware.

— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026