Illiberalness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being unwilling to accept different opinions or behaviors and showing a narrow-minded or stingy attitude
2. A state marked by intolerance towards differing viewpoints and a scarcity of generosity or fairness
3. Characterized by a refusal to embrace diversity of thought and a tendency to act ungenerously or restrictively

Etymology: "Illiberalness" is simply "illiberal" with the suffix "-ness" added, the regular English way of turning an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. The adjective itself is built from "il-", a form of the Latin negative prefix "in-" that appears before "l," plus "liberal," which in turn comes from Latin "liberalis," meaning "befitting a free person." So the root idea runs from the freeborn citizen's status to the modern sense of open-mindedness, and "illiberal" reverses that openness. The noun therefore names the quality of being illiberal, which in its current use means a narrow or intolerant attitude toward others' views, customs or freedoms. Because it is a transparent compound of familiar parts, its meaning can be read straight from its construction, with no sharp break or surprising shift along the way.

Synonyms: narrow-mindedness, bigotry

Antonyms: liberality, tolerance