Liberalism

Origin

Circa 1819, from French libéralisme circa 1818

Full definition of liberalism

Noun

1. The quality of being liberal.
2. Any political movement founded on the autonomy and personal freedom of the individual, progress and reform, and government by law with the consent of the governed.
• 2009, January 25, Timothy Garton Ash, A Liberal Translation, Whether some distant cousin really belongs to the extended family of liberalisms is a matter of healthy dispute.
3. An economic theory in favour of laissez faire and the free market.