illiberal
/ɪˈlɪb(ə)r(ə)l
/adjective
1Opposed to liberal principles; restricting freedom of thought or behaviour: illiberal and anti-democratic policies...
- However, I think they obscure, rather than remove or defuse, the potential conflicts between liberal principles and illiberal groups.
- Far more than wanting smokers to stub their fags out, I want the illiberal liberals now running health policy to butt out of people's personal habits.
- Since our island is in the Auckland City area we get to choose the mayor from among an assortment of National Party have-beens - a liberal one and an illiberal one - and an entrepreneur bent on not upsetting the chicken coop.
Synonyms
intolerant, narrow-minded, unenlightened, puritanical, fundamentalist;
reactionary, conservative, hidebound;
undemocratic, anti-democratic, authoritarian, strict, repressive, totalitarian, despotic, tyrannical, draconian, oppressive, fascist
2 archaic Uncultured or unrefined.We are not so much worried about being convicted of being illiberal as having the charge even raised in the first place....
- They tend to be illiberal, boorish, uncultured, arrogant snobs.
3 archaic Not generous; mean.He is avaricious and ambitious, I fear ungenerous and illiberal; is destitute of heroic daring.
Derivatives
illiberalism
- Yet around the turn of the 19th century, illiberalism crept in.
- The second ingredient of liberal democracy that such illiberalism denies is a belief in the superiority of reasoned argument over force.
- Anyhow I for one whilst disgusted am not surprised at this goverment's hypocritical illiberalism.
illiberality
/ noun ...- This Magna Carta thing is very weird because in the last 800 years we have had the Tudors, sheep stealing, Newgate prison, incredible illiberality.
- Their illiberality is consistently depressing.
- Before decolonization, it was possible to believe that colonial rule was as bad a form of illiberality as could exist.
illiberally
- The Liberal Democrats behaved, as ever, illiberally and voted against.
- An illiberally educated person meets new ideas with fear.
- Or am I alone in illiberally wanting to be told that Archer has been ordered to clean latrines?
Origin
Mid 16th century (in the sense 'vulgar, ill-bred'): from French illibéral, from Latin illiberalis 'mean, sordid', from in- 'not' + liberalis (see liberal).