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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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 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
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Given the court's significance in international law, this case could have more of an impact than COP on countries' behavior and corporate policies — and on future legal action, compared to past more parochial climate cases.Andrew Freedman, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Get the most out of your galley kitchen with our guide to navigating the notoriously narrow floor plan in style By Elizabeth Stamp and Perri Ormont Blumberg All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors.Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 12 Dec. 2024
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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
Adjective
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Deadpool & Wolverine was far more graphic and vulgar than previous Marvel Studios projects — but one of its especially dirty lines didn't make the cut.Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 30 Nov. 2024
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With Election Day on the horizon, Elon Musk is leaning into violent and vulgar rhetoric.Bruna Horvath, NBC News, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Its economy is smaller than Vermont’s, and its military consists of three hundred volunteers.Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
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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
Adjective
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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
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Two Hindu Americans who made presidential runs—Tulsi Gabbard and Vivek Ramaswamy—have already endured a litany of bigoted attacks.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In 2013, Pearson’s state exams featured crass, commercial product placements as well as reading passages lifted from Pearson textbooks.Kemala Karmen, New York Daily News, 18 Dec. 2024
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There is a deeper explanation for this, which, in a crass, regressive move, the author waits a full 236 pages to reveal, and even then only via a leering, Crying Game–style focus on his genitalia.Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 24 Sep. 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
Thesaurus Entries Near illiberal
Cite this Entry
“Illiberal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illiberal. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.
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