illiberal

[ ih-lib-er-uhl, ih-lib-ruhl ]
See synonyms for: illiberalilliberalityilliberally on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. narrowminded; bigoted.

  2. Archaic.

    • not generous in giving; miserly; stingy.

    • Chiefly Literary. without culture or refinement; unscholarly; vulgar.

Origin of illiberal

1
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin illīberālis “ignoble, mean”; see il-2, liberal

Other words for illiberal

Other words from illiberal

  • il·lib·er·al·i·ty, il·lib·er·al·ness, il·lib·er·al·ism, noun
  • il·lib·er·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use illiberal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for illiberal

illiberal

/ (ɪˈlɪbərəl) /


adjective
  1. narrow-minded; prejudiced; bigoted; intolerant

  2. not generous; mean

  1. lacking in culture or refinement

Derived forms of illiberal

  • illiberality, illiberalness or illiberalism, noun
  • illiberally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012