Illiberal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. resistant to progressive values and individual liberties while also being miserly with resources or generosity
2. characterized by intolerance toward diverse viewpoints and a reluctance to give or share abundantly
3. Opposing or restricting freedom of thought or action ; showing a lack of generosity or willingness to share

Etymology: "Illiberal" once meant something close to the opposite of its modern sense. In Latin, "liberalis" described what befits a free person, so a "liberalis" man was a gentleman of generous, open-handed character, and the word carried connotations of nobility and graciousness. Adding the negative prefix "il-" produced "illiberalis," meaning ungenerous, mean-spirited, or unworthy of a free person. The word passed into Middle French as "illibéral" and from there into English, where it kept that core sense of stinginess and lack of generosity. The political sense that dominates today is a later extension. Over time "illiberal" came to describe a narrow-minded or intolerant outlook, and in modern usage it is applied to governments and movements that suppress open debate and individual freedoms. The meaning thus travelled from personal meanness toward a broader rejection of liberty, while the stinginess sense remains in the word's background.

Synonyms: narrow-minded, bigoted, intolerant, restrictive, uncharitable

Antonyms: liberal, tolerant, open-minded, progressive, permissive