1
as in parochial
not broad or open in views or opinions
an illiberal society that viewed any artistic depiction of the nude as inherently indecent
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in narrow
unwilling to grant other people social rights or to accept other viewpoints
some of the more illiberal residents were opposed to having a hospice for AIDS patients in the neighborhood
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vulgar
archaic
lacking in refinement or good taste
people who had been scorned as illiberal because they were poor
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of illiberal
Only collective resolve in opposing the spread of illiberal political cultures can repel today’s authoritarian challengers and safeguard democracy — that’s the lesson of Matteotti’s assassination.
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Amy King & Brian J Griffith / Made By History, TIME, 14 June 2024
This anti-establishment sentiment, which favors illiberal solutions, is strongly rooted in the American psyche.
—Chris Jackson, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024
The illiberal leader has found common cause with Georgia’s ruling party and was the first international leader to congratulate them after the election – even before the votes were officially tallied.
—Jill Dougherty, CNN, 27 Oct. 2024
Most courts would assess these deeply illiberal policies as violating basic democratic principles.
—Dahlia Scheindlin, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illiberal 
Amy King & Brian J Griffith / Made By History, TIME, 14 June 2024
This anti-establishment sentiment, which favors illiberal solutions, is strongly rooted in the American psyche.
—Chris Jackson, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024
The illiberal leader has found common cause with Georgia’s ruling party and was the first international leader to congratulate them after the election – even before the votes were officially tallied.
—Jill Dougherty, CNN, 27 Oct. 2024
Most courts would assess these deeply illiberal policies as violating basic democratic principles.
—Dahlia Scheindlin, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illiberal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illiberal
Adjective
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But these conservationists were not always taken seriously by professional ornithologists, who often viewed them as parochial animal lovers and laughed at their efforts.Tim Gallagher, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
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There are literally thousands of other Americans worldwide who have dedicated their lives in similar ways to causes that are more consequential than parochial nationalism.Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Soon, we were told to go to the back of the train, where MTA workers were escorting us onto the narrow cat track to the escape stairs.Gillian Telling, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
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The narrow definition of who the competition was meant merging two competitors in a market posed a bigger risk to consumers of less choice and potentially higher prices.Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The show was so bawdy — almost vulgar in a really fun way.Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
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Read more Here's what else to know one week before Election Day: Trump is on damage duty: The former president's campaign is scrambling to distance itself from racist, vulgar, and sexist comments made by speakers at Trump's Sunday night rally at Madison Square Garden in New York.Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Shaikh said the swap is happening in the food hall's incubator section, where small businesses can get a stall and a six month lease to try out new concepts.Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024
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Black bears are the smallest of the North American bears.Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Perry none too subtly reminds that such a relationship was hardly welcomed in 1940s small-town America, as sniping from their bigoted blond classmate Mary Kathryn (Sarah Helbringer) makes clear.Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
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Many Democrats have abandoned hope in favor of cynicism: deciding that most of the voting public are selfish, bigoted enemies of democracy.Jamil Zaki, TIME, 23 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Whether Tammy was a sympathetic victim or a crass criminal seemed to depend on the scene and the song, and unfortunately, those songs from a composer by the name of Elton John were not exactly praise-worthy.EW Staff, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024
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But as some critics cited the lawsuit after the shooting, or even joked about it, others viewed these reactions as crass.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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My understanding has always been that the relic trade is loosely tolerated by the powers that be (many of whom have some pretty choice relics of their own), because one of the sneakiest ways authoritarian societies thrive is by letting their subjects get away with petty rebellions.Noel Murray, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
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As our profile lays out, the record reveals Billy Wagner as a blustery, bigger-than-life figure who engaged in petty crime and coached his family to do the same.Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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High in the Italian Alps, the wise but taciturn eldest daughters of a provincial matriarch, perpetually pregnant, vie for the attentions of Pietro (De Domenico), who hails from Sicily and has been deserted by the war.Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2024
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Fabula, co-produced in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, follows Jos, a provincial criminal grappling with personal and professional failures.Sara Merican, Deadline, 10 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Illiberal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illiberal. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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