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

These patterns are remarkably similar across all elite private institutions, including Ivy League universities, other elite universities such as Chicago, Duke, MIT and Stanford, and elite small private liberal arts colleges. —Peter Greene, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

From private research universities to small liberal arts colleges, professors have expressed frustration over students’ declining ability to tackle course readings. —Stephanie R. Toliver, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2024

Not even in the paranoid early ’50s, when the House Un-American Activities Committee waged war on active Communist Party members, particularly those working in the liberal arts. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2024

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

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