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Lexicon.

liberalism

noun [ˈlɪbərəˌlɪzəm]
pronunciation CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, open source

Liberalism is a tradition of political and economic thought that values individual freedom, equal rights and limited state power, and in daily use also a tolerant attitude.

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Definitions

  1. In politics: a family of ideas that defends the freedom of the individual, the rule of law, civil rights and government by consent, and that tries to keep any power, including the state, within clear limits.
    source Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)
  2. In economics: trust in free markets, private property and free trade, with as little state control of business as possible; this sense is often called economic or classical liberalism.
    source Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)
  3. In religion and general use: an open, non-dogmatic attitude that accepts change and tolerates views and ways of life different from one's own.
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Examples

Usage

Liberalism means different things in different places, and this is the most common source of confusion. In the United States a liberal is usually someone on the centre left who supports social programmes and civil rights. In much of Europe, including Poland, a liberal party is more often one that wants lower taxes and less regulation. Political scientists therefore add a word in front: classical, economic, social, political or religious liberalism. When you write about the subject, say which of these you mean.

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Webster (1913) defines liberalism simply as liberal principles, the principles and methods of the liberals in politics or religion, and specifically the principles of the Liberal party. Under the noun liberal the same dictionary describes a person who favours greater freedom in political or religious matters, an opponent of the established systems and a reformer, and adds that in English politics it means a member of the Liberal party, comparing it with Whig.

source Editorial team; facts: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

The adjective liberal is much older than the political ism, and Webster (1913) lists seven senses for it. The first is free by birth, befitting a freeman or gentleman, as in the liberal arts. Others are generous and open-handed, abundant, as in a liberal gift, and not strict or literal, as in a liberal translation. Only the seventh sense is political: not bound by orthodox tenets, independent in opinion, not conservative. The same dictionary records liberalist, liberalistic, liberality, liberalize and liberalization.

source Editorial team; facts: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

The noun often goes with classical, economic, social, political and religious, and people embrace, defend, criticise or reject it. A follower is a liberal, and liberalism also gave rise to neoliberalism, a later free-market version, and to illiberalism, a style of rule that keeps elections but weakens courts, the press and minority rights. Do not confuse liberalism with libertarianism, which pushes the limits on the state much further, or with liberality, which is an old word for generosity.

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Word forms

Regular English noun, usually uncountable; the plural liberalisms is rare and refers to different kinds or national versions of the tradition.

word forms

przypadek forma
singular liberalism
plural liberalisms

Word forms: Editorial team

Collocations

Synonyms · Antonyms

Synonyms progressivism (in US usage), liberal thought, free-market thinking (in the economic sense)
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Antonyms conservatism, authoritarianism, illiberalism
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Etymology

Liberalism adds the suffix -ism to liberal; Webster (1913) compares it with French libéralisme. Skeat traces liberal through Old French liberal to Latin liberalis, befitting a free man, generous, from Latin liber, free, and finds it in Middle English already in Gower. Skeat lists liberalism among the derivatives of liberal and connects liberate, liberty and libertine with the same Latin liber.
source W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open source
also Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

Related words

Related entries

Questions and answers

What does liberalism mean?

It is a family of ideas built around personal liberty, equality before the law and checks on government; economists use it for faith in free markets, and everyday speech for open-mindedness.

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How did older dictionaries define liberalism?

Webster (1913) gives a short definition built on the word liberal itself: the principles of liberals in politics or religion, and above all of the British Liberal party.

source Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

Where does the word liberalism come from?

It is built on liberal, which Skeat traces through Old French to Latin liberalis, befitting a free man, from liber, free. Liberty and liberate come from the same Latin word.

source W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open source

Is liberalism the same as libertarianism?

No. Both value freedom, but libertarianism wants a much smaller state than most liberals do, and modern social liberalism accepts public services and regulation that libertarians reject.

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