1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
National conservatism is notable for being a particularly illiberal ideology in many ways, one of which is the rejection of individualism.
—
Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025
The trio – who had never appeared together in public before – formed the defiant face of an emerging bloc of illiberal leaders determined to push back against Western rules and tilt the global balance of power in their favor.
—Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
This is no longer a matter of liberal drift but an illiberal takeover—the Berkeley hippies who moved into faculty lounges decades ago would now be considered retrograde white supremacists—a structural crisis.
—Ilya Shapiro, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
At the same time, Western progressivism has its own obvious illiberal features, European countries under notionally liberal governments are busy suppressing free expression and sometimes democracy itself, and the tensions of multiculturalism may make the European order more unstable than our own.
—Ross Douthat, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illiberal
Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025
The trio – who had never appeared together in public before – formed the defiant face of an emerging bloc of illiberal leaders determined to push back against Western rules and tilt the global balance of power in their favor.
—Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
This is no longer a matter of liberal drift but an illiberal takeover—the Berkeley hippies who moved into faculty lounges decades ago would now be considered retrograde white supremacists—a structural crisis.
—Ilya Shapiro, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
At the same time, Western progressivism has its own obvious illiberal features, European countries under notionally liberal governments are busy suppressing free expression and sometimes democracy itself, and the tensions of multiculturalism may make the European order more unstable than our own.
—Ross Douthat, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illiberal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illiberal
Adjective
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The move likely seeks to rein in parochial infighting between military branches, which compete for congressional funding every year despite Hegseth and the White House officially controlling the process.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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The disagreement is colored by Maine’s parochial politics.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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United, some of whose senior leadership team, including its chief executive, Scott Kirby, came from American, has done the opposite and is in the process of adding thousands of screens to narrow-body planes both new and old, including Bluetooth technology for wireless headphones.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
26 Oct. 2025
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The Fitzgerald was designed to carry as much cargo as possible and still fit through the narrow locks at Sault Ste.—
Kevin Duchschere,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Who decides what’s decorous and what’s vulgar?—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
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The president has been targeting Jeffries online with offensive and vulgar memes since the pair first had an unsuccessful sit-down meeting in the Oval Office just before the shutdown.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Add the ginger during the last minute of cooking, then transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Oct. 2025
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Martin knocked on the hunter’s small tent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This week in politics In the hours and days after a Politco exposé revealed the chair and vice chair of the Kansas Young Republicans sent bigoted messages in a group chat with members from three other states, Kansas GOP officials emphatically disavowed the hateful and violent rhetoric.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
23 Oct. 2025
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The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Each project presented at MIA is picked with a genuine desire for these works to come to the fore, not by crass commercial considerations.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
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Free speech covers the jokes, the satire, the parodies—even the dumb, crass, or offensive ones.—
Lizz Winstead,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Any petty rivalries were put aside, and in the true sense of the actor’s code, offers came to help each other read over the piece.—
Jay Glennie,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
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Filmmaking is blind instinct, petty calculations, smooth generalship, daydreaming, pig-headedness, grace, bluff, risk.—
Susan Sontag,
Vogue,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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His first business ventures were reportedly an internet café and gaming centers in the provincial capital Fuzhou.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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The spot, paid for by the Ontario provincial government and not the Canadian federal government, features the voice of former President Ronald Reagan, speaking during a radio address on April 25, 1987.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illiberal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illiberal. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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