liberal arts

plural noun

1

: college or university studies (such as language, philosophy, literature, and abstract science) intended to provide chiefly general knowledge and to develop general intellectual capacities (such as reason and judgment) as opposed to professional or vocational skills

2

: the medieval studies comprising the trivium and quadrivium

Did you know?

Why do we call the liberal arts "liberal"?

The liberal in liberal arts is not political. Its roots can be traced to the Latin word liber, meaning “free, unrestricted.” Our language took the term from the Latin liberales artes, which described the education given to members of the upper classes as well as to those with the full rights of a citizen; this education involved training in such subjects as grammar, logic, geometry, etc., as opposed to the education reserved for the lower classes, which involved mechanical or occupational skills. The phrase liberal arts has been part of our language for a very long time, with use dating back to the 14th century.

Examples of liberal arts in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees, as well as professional development and K-12 programs for fostering success at every stage of life. —April Wallace, arkansasonline.com, 31 Oct. 2024

The baccalaureate majors with the largest declines in enrollment were liberal arts, general studies and humanities (-5.9%), English (-2.6%), natural resources and conservation (-1.5%), security and protective services (-.7%) and social sciences (-.3%). —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

This prestigious position focused on profit improvement and due diligence for private equity transactions, a brand-new field for a liberal arts major. —Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 12 Oct. 2024

The full list of participating institutions — which includes public and private institutions, research universities and liberal arts colleges — is listed here. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

liberal arts

plural noun

: the studies (as literature, philosophy, languages, or history) in a college or university intended to develop the mind in a general way rather than give professional or vocational skills