as in illiberality
stubborn or intolerant adherence to one's opinions or prejudices
They each accused the other of a form of illiberalism.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 illiberalism
Orban and Putin once shared a close working relationship, grounded in energy deals and mutual illiberalism.
—
Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Space warfare, cyber defense, mass migration, corruption, and illiberalism require fluency, adaptability, empathy, and collaboration.
—Loree Sutton, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
If so, or even if not, the results of illiberalism by governmental bodies on both sides of the Atlantic are clear for all to see.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Hazony’s main project, the National Conservatism conference, has served as a hub connecting various different strands of illiberalism to each other and to power.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for illiberalism
Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Space warfare, cyber defense, mass migration, corruption, and illiberalism require fluency, adaptability, empathy, and collaboration.
—Loree Sutton, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
If so, or even if not, the results of illiberalism by governmental bodies on both sides of the Atlantic are clear for all to see.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Hazony’s main project, the National Conservatism conference, has served as a hub connecting various different strands of illiberalism to each other and to power.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for illiberalism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illiberalism
Noun
-
Greenberg suggests this remains a useful lens for looking at bigotry today.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
8 May 2026
-
But the Ohio gubernatorial candidate who clinched his party’s nomination this week alluded to bigotry on the right in his opening message to a town hall full of young Republicans.—
Hannah Knowles,
Washington Post,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
These examples might seem to highlight intolerance and suppressed speech on campus.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
-
In people with lactose intolerance, the body doesn’t produce enough of an enzyme called lactase, which is needed to break down lactose so it can be absorbed.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
By staying so close to black metal’s core sound, Marchenko does more to undermine the dogmatism—both racial and aesthetic—of Vikernes and his ilk than a more obviously experimental project might.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But for the audience the scariest revelation in the conversation isn’t his dogmatism.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Fully invested in its protagonist without blandly cheerleading for her, Bourgeois-Tacquet’s script is sharply attuned both to the everyday prejudice faced by women like Gabrielle, and the ways in which such sexism can be overcorrected.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
The Court held that this evidence went far beyond what was necessary and gave rise to unfair prejudice.—
Peter D'Abrosca , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Staff unionized, in an effort to address what many felt were systemic biases against employees who were Black and women.—
Odette Yousef,
NPR,
12 May 2026
-
There is an official timekeeper who purposefully faces away from the drum to avoid any perception of bias.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Those could be explicit requirements for a map to appear to be fair by certain statistical measures of partisanship.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
Jazil on Friday argued that plaintiffs were definitively saying the map was crafted with partisanship in mind despite scant evidence.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Illiberalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illiberalism. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
