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

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

Property developers emerged there in the 1980s after it became one of the first areas of China to liberalize its economy, drawing migrants seeking work.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 20, 2022

The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the   economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to   Socialism," but those efforts stalled, and some of the   liberalization measures were rescinded.

From The 2007 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency