lib·er·al·ism

(lĭb′ər-ə-lĭz′əm, lĭb′rə-)

1. The state or quality of being liberal.

a. A political theory founded on the natural goodness of humans and the autonomy of the individual and favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority.

b. often Liberalism The tenets or policies of a Liberal party.

3. An economic theory in favor of laissez-faire, the free market, and the gold standard.

4. Liberalism

a. A 19th-century Protestant movement that favored free intellectual inquiry, stressed the ethical and humanitarian content of Christianity, and de-emphasized dogmatic theology.

b. A 19th-century Roman Catholic movement that favored political democracy and ecclesiastical reform but was theologically orthodox.

lib′er·al·ist n.

lib′er·al·is′tic (-lĭs′tĭk) adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.

liberalistic - having or demonstrating belief in the essential goodness of man and the autonomy of the individual; favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority

liberal - tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition

liberalistic

adjective

Favoring civil liberties and social progress:

liberal, progressive.

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References in periodicals archive

This liberalistic approach perceives English as a medium of international communication which is due to the number of non-native speakers, and is the result of two periods of world domination by English speaking nations, that is, British imperialism and the economic influence of the United States.

EFL Teachers' Perspectives on the Role of English in Two Mexican Private Universities/Perspectivas de docentes de ingles como lengua extranjera sobre el papel del ingles en dos universidades privadas mexicanas

Criticisms on international relations researchers are increasing each day more and more, as field professionals are failing to explain the events at least to approximate the projections, since they focus more on theories and models predicting behavior rationally consistent with predictions of theories and realistic or liberalistic rationalism, fail to explain the events and dilemmas which are a hybridization and an inverted pyramid to their great theories and their neo after World War II.

"Spider Diplomacy" as a Complementary Explanation of the New International Circumstances

In the same letter Pushkin also quotes from his 1821 ode on the death of Napoleon, referring to it dismissively as "my last liberalistic delirium." (21)

Tragedy in the Balkans: Pushkin's Critique of Romantic Ideology in The Gypsies

at 845 (allowing Magwood's complaint to stand under an extreme liberalistic interpretation).

Constitutional Law - Eleventh Circuit's Misdiagnosis: Inmates Benevolently Allowed to File Claims Under the Eighth Amendment Lacking Deliberate Indifference - Magwood v. Sec'y, Fla. Dep't of Corr

Another argument in favour of global intellectual property rights is an emerging secondary market for intellectual property, in which, according to liberalistic principles, all actors may prosper.

Protection of Intellectual Property and its Economic Aspects

Kristensen (1999) argues that this research tradition agreed well with the prevailing American individualist and liberalistic tradition but consequently, little effort has been paid to the social, economic, and occupational factors that may underlie the individual risk factors.

Heart disease and the stress hypothesis in the mid-twentieth century: a historical review

She discusses the effects of Ireland's newly adopted neo- liberalistic ideals on Irish women, particularly mothers, and the burdens of balancing the desire to make economic contributions to the state while also providing care to their children.

Complex Inequality and 'Working Mothers'