Synonym Chooser

How is the word liberty different from other nouns like it?

The words freedom and license are common synonyms of liberty. While all three words mean "the power or condition of acting without compulsion," liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.

the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

When could freedom be used to replace liberty?

In some situations, the words freedom and liberty are roughly equivalent. However, freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated.

freedom of the press

When is it sensible to use license instead of liberty?

Although the words license and liberty have much in common, license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.

freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of liberty The case entered the religious liberty sphere advocates have been trying to break open in public schools at the Supreme Court for years. Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 25 May 2025 Kehlmann exercises the same liberties as Doctorow, yet what holds his fictional whirlwind together is not sensation but an appalling portrait of Europe in a state of emotional and moral disintegration. David Denby, New Yorker, 23 May 2025 The penny was first minted in 1793, and its original design featured a woman with flowing hair representing liberty. Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025 While some of these flashbacks—like their poignant visit to the museum—were pulled from The Last of Us Part II video game, the show also took some liberties with the source material that resulted in a bit of a different spin on how their relationship ultimately fractured. Megan McCluskey, Time, 19 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for liberty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liberty
Noun
  • Goal of the season This was a choice between Bowen’s superb strike from outside the box against Ipswich and his volley against Forest.
    Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 28 May 2025
  • Romantics will almost certainly be drawn to a full moon, but during its 29.5-day cycle, going from one new moon to the next, our satellite offers up plenty of other choices.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • Read More: What the History of Saint Augustine Can Teach us About Pope Leo XIV Despite setting limits on the autonomy of the American Church, the social teachings of Leo XIII had enormous influence on Catholicism in the U.S., especially after the horrors of World War I.
    Time, Time, 29 May 2025
  • Stop micromanaging teams to death—a little autonomy helps.
    Jon Michail, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • Supporting emails, poems, blog posts, essays, stories, code, and images, Creator Answer offers contextual suggestions and customization options for each type of content.
    William Jones, USA Today, 28 May 2025
  • YouTuber Jon Prosser last month also hinted at rounded corners on options within dialog boxes, app menus, and search bars, plus a floating translucent navigation menu and the repositioning of the search bar to the bottom of the screen.
    Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 28 May 2025
Noun
  • But Ukraine accuses Russia of seeking to seize control of the country and remove its sovereignty in an imperial war of aggression.
    Shane Croucher John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
  • Canadians were not happy when U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer extended a state visit invitation to Mr. Trump on behalf of the king during a time when Mr. Trump threatened Canada’s sovereignty.
    ROB GILLIES, Christian Science Monitor, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • However, Gomez said, the overall takeaway from the L.A. event was just how pervasive the sense of fear for press freedom has become.
    Liam Reilly, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
  • Shortly after, Mars will square Uranus on June 15, creating a volatile energy between your desire for personal freedom and autonomy, versus unpredictable events that shake up your day-to-day routines and sense of stability.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • Yet Operation Spider's Web, orchestrated by the SBU intelligence service, was also part of a recurring theme: Ukraine keeps inventing new ways to wage war with drones, and regularly catches Russia by surprise.
    Greg Myre, NPR, 7 June 2025
  • Staff at Nasser hospital, where six of the bodies over the last 24 hours were taken, said they were killed while on their way to get food aid.
    Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • The Athletic maintains full editorial independence.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • The region’s hip-hop culture is known for its independence and insular spirit born of a combination of pimp culture, Black Panther ideology, and funk music.
    Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • This visit was very important signal for our partners that Kyiv, much more safety right now, and also very important signal that Great Britain stay together with Ukraine, support Ukraine -- support our country in the fight for our freedom, for our independency.
    ABC News, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2022
  • Yet the careful reader will appreciate the significance of the Puritan Cromwell’s independency.
    Barton Swaim, WSJ, 27 Dec. 2021

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Cite this Entry

“Liberty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liberty. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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