Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

illiberalism

American  
[i-lib-er-uhl-iz-uhm, i-lib-ruhl-] / ɪˈlɪb ər əlˌɪz əm, ɪˈlɪb rəl- /

noun

  1. adherence to social or political values that are counter to those of liberalism.

  2. attitudes or policies that are narrow-minded, authoritarian, or intolerant.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Saturday's summit in Spain was the fourth meeting of the In Defence of Democracy initiative, which aims to counter extremism and illiberalism.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

How do we locate these protests relative to illiberalism and the larger debates about free speech and antisemitism?

From Salon • May 10, 2024

Yet this is where her illiberalism truly shines through.

From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2021

“But the pathologies, illiberalism, and repressive mentality that led to the bizarre spectacle of my being censored by my own media outlet are ones that are by no means unique to The Intercept,” he said.

From Washington Times • Jan. 25, 2021

Reaction, Ultramontanism, illiberalism, superstition, found a patroness and leader in her.

From Modern Leaders: Being a Series of Biographical Sketches by McCarthy, Justin