illiberalism

noun

(ˌ)i(l)-ˈli-b(ə-)rə-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce illiberalism (audio)
Definition of illiberalismnext
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

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illiberalism
  1. bigotry
  2. intolerance
  3. dogmatism
  4. prejudice
  5. bias
  6. partisanship
Noun
  • The wall of xenophobia and bigotry, turned on its side, can be a table.
    — Josh Fox, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
  • That makes her villainous status even harder to shed, as many players and media members seemingly wear their bigotry toward her as a badge of honor.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of bigotry
Noun
  • Across the country, incidents of religious intolerance are rising.
    — Scott Ehrlich, Sun Sentinel, 16 July 2026
  • The response to a culture of intolerance by students and faculty, however, should not be official intolerance by the state.
    — David Cole, The New York Review of Books, 12 July 2026
Definition of intolerance
Noun
  • When authenticity becomes uncompromising, candor turns belligerent, consistency becomes rigid, or principled decision-making morphs into dogmatism, even the best intentions can backfire.
    — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of dogmatism
Noun
  • In the District of Columbia, federal Judge Ana Reyes said comments from Noem about Haitians showed prejudice.
    — Jay Weaver July 22, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • An alleged child-abuse drama which cleverly plays with audiences own sense of prejudice, the work is hailed in its native Catalonia as a modern Catalan classic.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 21 July 2026
Definition of prejudice
Noun
  • Other research suggests body camera footage can accentuate racial bias by the viewer against people with dark complexions.
    — Sarah Matusek, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026
  • But even LLMs like ChatGPT or Claude can help identify biases.
    — Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of bias
Noun
  • However, the same poll found partisanship shapes peoples’ perceptions.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • After decades of economic upheaval and partisanship, there are simply no easy answers to our country’s vast array of problems.
    — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 8 July 2026
Definition of partisanship

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Cite this Entry

“Illiberalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illiberalism. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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