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

Corcoran’s hiring followed DeSantis’ overhaul of the Board of Trustees for the university, once seen as a non-traditional and progressive public liberal arts school. —Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025

Psych 101 is a class that was regularly offered as a liberal arts credit that was acceptable to the science degrees like engineering and physics and chemistry. —Beth Anderson, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025

The Atchison, Kansas school is a Catholic liberal arts college with a Christian heritage. —Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025

Their liberal arts training and education will prepare them to use AI responsibly. —Emily B. Todd, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2025

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