as in left
a political belief stressing progress, the essential goodness of humankind, and individual freedom
liberalism had always claimed to stand for the greatest social good
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Recent Examples of liberalism
History shows quite clearly that the societies most capable of generosity and liberalism are not those trapped in poverty but those that have escaped it.
—
Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 25 Dec. 2025
The Heritage Foundation has been around since 1973, when it was founded by conservatives who found President Richard Nixon too liberal and feared both fiscal liberalism and federal government expansion.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 23 Dec. 2025
And within many democracies, the old assumptions that undergirded politics are in doubt; liberalism appears to be in disarray and illiberal forces on the rise.
—Daron Acemoglu, Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2025
But some experts question how viable and concrete such cooperation can be when the U.S. is shifting from a supporter of trade liberalism to an increasingly protectionist and transactional position.
—Se Eun Gong, NPR, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liberalism
Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 25 Dec. 2025
The Heritage Foundation has been around since 1973, when it was founded by conservatives who found President Richard Nixon too liberal and feared both fiscal liberalism and federal government expansion.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 23 Dec. 2025
And within many democracies, the old assumptions that undergirded politics are in doubt; liberalism appears to be in disarray and illiberal forces on the rise.
—Daron Acemoglu, Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2025
But some experts question how viable and concrete such cooperation can be when the U.S. is shifting from a supporter of trade liberalism to an increasingly protectionist and transactional position.
—Se Eun Gong, NPR, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liberalism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liberalism
left
Noun
-
Switch sides, bringing your left elbow to your right knee, continuing to alternate in a cycling motion.—
RikkiLynn Shields Hannigan,
Health,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Not having Dorgu’s energy down the left could afford more space to Wilson down that side.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Liberalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liberalism. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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