liberalize

American  

[lib-er-uh-lahyz, lib-ruh-] / ˈlɪb ər əˌlaɪz, ˈlɪb rə- /

especially British, liberalise

verb (used with or without object)

liberalized, liberalizing

1. to make or become liberal.

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liberalize British  

/ ˈlɪbərəˌlaɪz, ˈlɪbrə- /

verb

1. to make or become liberal

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Other Word Forms

• liberalization noun
• liberalizer noun
• overliberalize verb
• unliberalized adjective

Etymology

Origin of liberalize

First recorded in 1765–75; liberal + -ize

Explanation

Liberalize means to make more liberal––as in, less authoritarian and more open. State-run economies might liberalize by opening up industry, free enterprise, and trade. Liberalize can also mean "reform." If you have a society that punishes theft by cutting off a culprit's hand, you could liberalize it by changing the punishment to jail time or other less cruel and unusual punishment.

Example Sentences

In 2022, Nabavi and Hassan Khomeini lobbied the government to liberalize the political system during protests against the compulsory veil.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

Either way, an uncertain path awaits those who would like to liberalize the law.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 10, 2024

But they happened amid a nationwide push by manufacturer and restaurant lobbies to liberalize child labor laws in those states and elsewhere.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2023

In 1995, the World Trade Organisation implemented the Agreement on Agriculture to liberalize agricultural trade.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2023

The enemies of progress in the South, he maintained, opposed the education of the masses both of Negroes and whites because of its tendency to liberalize these people.

From The Journal of Negro History, Volume 7, 1922 by Various