as in illiberality
stubborn or intolerant adherence to one's opinions or prejudices
They each accused the other of a form of illiberalism.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illiberalism
The signal predicament of our era is the global rise of illiberalism and intolerance.
—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Journalist Anne Applebaum has documented how elites accommodate themselves to illiberalism, finding advantage in proximity to power even as institutions decay.
—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
One of the abiding strengths of any genuinely liberal order—domestic or international—is that within it illiberalism can exist, and do damage, without posing an existential threat to it.
—
Stephen Kotkin,
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
See All Example Sentences for illiberalism
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Journalist Anne Applebaum has documented how elites accommodate themselves to illiberalism, finding advantage in proximity to power even as institutions decay.
—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
One of the abiding strengths of any genuinely liberal order—domestic or international—is that within it illiberalism can exist, and do damage, without posing an existential threat to it.
—
Stephen Kotkin,
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
See All Example Sentences for illiberalism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illiberalism
Noun
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Trey Parker and Matt Stone created a show directly informed by millennials and Gen Xers growing up in a culture of gun violence, fear, moralizing, bigotry, war and division.
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Gabbard's team and a spokesperson for SIF called the reporting anti-Hindu religious bigotry.
Noun
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Meanwhile, back in the 1990s, suspicious foes and new strains of mutant intolerance are on the rise in the wake of the X-Men’s absence.
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Both are generally safe, although kefir may not be suitable for those with lactose intolerance or a milk allergy.
Noun
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When authenticity becomes uncompromising, candor turns belligerent, consistency becomes rigid, or principled decision-making morphs into dogmatism, even the best intentions can backfire.
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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.
Noun
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For much of the past several decades, overt expressions of racial prejudice became increasingly socially unacceptable in mainstream public life.
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Ableism is the everyday prejudice — sometimes subtle, sometimes overt — that treats people with disabilities as inconvenient, less competent, or less deserving of respect and opportunity.
Noun
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Meanwhile, Grok showed the strongest biases, highly favoring Catholics and Protestants while showing an aversion for Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baha’i and Hindus.
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In fact, Smith has long argued that the NFL has overlooked Black candidates at those positions because of racial bias.
Noun
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On Monday, Kiley called those results historical and a sign that voters in the district are rejecting partisanship.
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Club America would focus more on patriotism than on partisanship, encouraging students to put up flags and stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Cite this Entry
“Illiberalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illiberalism. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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