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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illiberal
Democracy is in recession in all quarters of the globe, including in the West, where political centrism has been steadily losing ground to illiberal populism.
—
Charles A. Kupchan, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
Carl Schmitt, the twentieth century’s giant of illiberal thought, drew his theories from his personal experience living in the Weimar Republic.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
Critics of India claim the plots reflect the uniquely illiberal quality of the Modi government.
—Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2024
These illiberal tactics, however, attracted widespread condemnation, above all from militant anti-fascists like Matteotti and his left-wing colleagues in the Chamber.
—Amy King & Brian J Griffith / Made By History, TIME, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for illiberal 
Charles A. Kupchan, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
Carl Schmitt, the twentieth century’s giant of illiberal thought, drew his theories from his personal experience living in the Weimar Republic.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
Critics of India claim the plots reflect the uniquely illiberal quality of the Modi government.
—Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2024
These illiberal tactics, however, attracted widespread condemnation, above all from militant anti-fascists like Matteotti and his left-wing colleagues in the Chamber.
—Amy King & Brian J Griffith / Made By History, TIME, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for illiberal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illiberal
Adjective
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Columbus Today Columbus is no longer the parochial, third-tier Midwestern city big dreamers must leave in order to fulfil their potential.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
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But parochial political feuds and byzantine zoning codes have hampered LA’s efforts to get more new housing off the ground.—
Carly Stern,
Vox,
6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The large table serves as the primary crafting area; the narrow wood desk is her workstation.—
Ella Field,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Jan. 2025
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Think narrow sections with extra weight in the middle to give you more control for day-to-day styling at home.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Her involuntary outbursts cause Dupree to shout a number of things, such as comments about people around her and more vulgar language.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
17 Jan. 2025
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Nearly 100% of the first film’s grosses were made in the U.S. — so few expected the spooky sequel about a vulgar poltergeist to connect in the territories across the pond and beyond this time around either.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Sitting in front of local leaders, Trump again wrongly blamed elements of the fire disaster on a lack of water resources coming from the Delta and environmental protections for the delta smelt, a small fish near extinction that has become a symbol of GOP frustration.—
Ari Plachta,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Jan. 2025
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Bad decisions — the kind that can be, if not reversed, at least remedied — are an essential part of adolescence: lapses that teach us about our desires, our impulses, our weaknesses, our essential character, and leave us with no greater damage than a throbbing hangover or a small, smudgy tattoo.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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At City Hall, a handful of commenters also regularly deliver bigoted messages.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2025
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Get Into the Holiday Spirit by Watching Mariah Carey Bake Christmas Cookies Famous for its iconic title song, 9 to 5 follows Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda as a trio of fiery secretaries who topple the tyranny of their sexist, bigoted boss (Dabney Coleman).—
Lauren Sanchez,
Vogue,
19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Trump — with his crass words and absurd policy proposals — has had progressives playing defense for nearly the last decade.—
Brea Baker,
refinery29.com,
20 Jan. 2025
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Of course, with Burr, there’s still plenty of lines crossed and joyously crass humor.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Organized theft is no petty crime; these are not one-off crimes of desperation or a mom lifting a can of formula to feed her baby.—
Cailey Locklair,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Jan. 2025
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In November 2023, Pryer filed a motion to terminate her remaining two years of probation based on a recent court ruling which held that a defendant convicted of a single petty offense may not be sentenced to both imprisonment and probation.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The provincial and constitutional courts ruled against them.—
Stephanie Yang,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other government ministers met with provincial premiers to discuss Trump's pledge to impose steep tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports after he is sworn in as president in January.—
Nia Williams and Ismail Shakil,
USA TODAY,
14 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near illiberal
Cite this Entry
“Illiberal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illiberal. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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