Adjacent Words

Liberty definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LIB'ERTY, n. [L. libertas, from liber, free.]
1. Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind. The body is at liberty, when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty, when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty, when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions.
2. Natural liberty, consists in the power of acting as one thinks fit, without any restraint or control, except from the laws of nature. It is a state of exemption from the control of others, and from positive laws and the institutions of social life. This liberty is abridged by the establishment of government.
3. Civil liberty, is the liberty of men in a state of society, or natural liberty, so far only abridged and restrained, as is necessary and expedient for the safety and interest of the society, state or nation. A restraint of natural liberty, not necessary or expedient for the public, is tyranny or oppression. civil liberty is an exemption from the arbitrary will of others, which exemption is secured by established laws, which restrain every man from injuring or controlling another. Hence the restraints of law are essential to civil liberty.
The liberty of one depends not so much on the removal of all restraint from him, as on the due restraint upon the liberty of others.
In this sentence, the latter word liberty denotes natural liberty.
4. Political liberty, is sometimes used as synonymous with civil liberty. But it more properly designates the liberty of a nation, the freedom of a nation or state from all unjust abridgment of its rights and independence by another nation. Hence we often speak of the political liberties of Europe, or the nations of Europe.
5. Religious liberty, is the free right of adopting and enjoying opinions on religious subjects, and of worshiping the Supreme Being according to the dictates of conscience, without external control.
6. Liberty, in metaphysics, as opposed to necessity, is the power of an agent to do or forbear any particular action, according to the determination or thought of the mind, by which either is preferred to the other.
Freedom of the will; exemption from compulsion or restraint in willing or volition.
7. Privilege; exemption; immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant; with a plural. Thus we speak of the liberties of the commercial cities of Europe.
8. Leave; permission granted. The witness obtained liberty to leave the court.
9. A space in which one is permitted to pass without restraint, and beyond which he may not lawfully pass; with a plural; as the liberties of a prison.
10. Freedom of action or speech beyond the ordinary bounds of civility or decorum. Females should repel all improper liberties.
To take the liberty to do or say any thing, to use freedom not specially granted.
To set at liberty, to deliver from confinement; to release from restraint.
To be at liberty, to be free from restraint.
Liberty of the press, is freedom from any restriction on the power to publish books; the free power of publishing what one pleases, subject only to punishment for abusing the privilege, or publishing what is mischievous to the public or injurious to individuals.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence [syn: autonomy, liberty]
2: freedom of choice; "liberty of opinion"; "liberty of worship"; "liberty--perfect liberty--to think or feel or do just as one pleases"; "at liberty to choose whatever occupation one wishes"
3: personal freedom from servitude or confinement or oppression
4: leave granted to a sailor or naval officer [syn: shore leave, liberty]
5: an act of undue intimacy [syn: familiarity, impropriety, indecorum, liberty]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -ties) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French liberté, from Latin libertat-, libertas, from liber free — more at liberal Date: 14th century 1. the quality or state of being free: a. the power to do as one pleases b. freedom from physical restraint c. freedom from arbitrary or despotic control d. the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges e. the power of choice 2. a. a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant ; privilege b. permission especially to go freely within specified limits 3. an action going beyond normal limits: as a. a breach of etiquette or propriety ; familiarity b. risk, chance <took foolish liberties with his health> c. a violation of rules or a deviation from standard practice d. a distortion of fact 4. a short authorized absence from naval duty usually for less than 48 hours Synonyms: see freedom

Merriam Webster's

geographical name city NW Missouri NNE of Kansas City population 26,232

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 a freedom from captivity, imprisonment, slavery, or despotic control. b a personification of this. 2 a the right or power to do as one pleases. b (foll. by to + infin.) right, power, opportunity, permission. c Philos. freedom from control by fate or necessity. 3 a (usu. in pl.) a right, privilege, or immunity, enjoyed by prescription or grant. b (in sing. or pl.) hist. an area having such privileges etc., esp. a district controlled by a city though outside its boundary or an area outside a prison where some prisoners might reside. 4 setting aside of rules or convention. Phrases and idioms: at liberty 1 free, not imprisoned (set at liberty). 2 (foll. by to + infin.) entitled, permitted. 3 available, disengaged. Liberty Bell (in the US) a bell in Philadelphia rung at the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. liberty boat Brit. Naut. a boat carrying liberty men. liberty bodice a close-fitting under-bodice. liberty hall a place where one may do as one likes. liberty horse a horse performing in a circus without a rider. liberty man Brit. Naut. a sailor with leave to go ashore. liberty of the subject the rights of a subject under constitutional rule. Liberty ship hist. a prefabricated US-built freighter of the war of 1939-45. take liberties 1 (often foll. by with) behave in an unduly familiar manner. 2 (foll. by with) deal freely or superficially with rules or facts. take the liberty (foll. by to + infin., or of + verbal noun) presume, venture. Etymology: ME f. OF liberté f. L libertas -tatis f. liber free

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Liberty Lib"er*ty (l[i^]b"[~e]r*t[y^]), n.; pl. Liberties (-t[i^]z). [OE. liberte, F. libert['e], fr. L. libertas, fr. liber free. See Liberal.] 1. The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming ownership of the person or services; freedom; -- opposed to slavery, serfdom, bondage, or subjection. But ye . . . caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection. --Jer. xxxiv. 16. Delivered fro the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. --Bible, 1551. Rom. viii. 21. 2. Freedom from imprisonment, bonds, or other restraint upon locomotion. Being pent from liberty, as I am now. --Shak. 3. A privilege conferred by a superior power; permission granted; leave; as, liberty given to a child to play, or to a witness to leave a court, and the like. 4. Privilege; exemption; franchise; immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant; as, the liberties of the commercial cities of Europe. His majesty gave not an entire county to any; much less did he grant . . . any extraordinary liberties. --Sir J. Davies. 5. The place within which certain immunities are enjoyed, or jurisdiction is exercised. [Eng.] Brought forth into some public or open place within the liberty of the city, and there . . . burned. --Fuller. 6. A certain amount of freedom; permission to go freely within certain limits; also, the place or limits within which such freedom is exercised; as, the liberties of a prison. 7. A privilege or license in violation of the laws of etiquette or propriety; as, to permit, or take, a liberty. He was repeatedly provoked into striking those who had taken liberties with him. --Macaulay. 8. The power of choice; freedom from necessity; freedom from compulsion or constraint in willing. The idea of liberty is the idea of a power in any agent to do or forbear any particular action, according to the determination or thought of the mind, whereby either of them is preferred to the other. --Locke. This liberty of judgment did not of necessity lead to lawlessness. --J. A. Symonds. 9. (Manege) A curve or arch in a bit to afford room for the tongue of the horse. 10. (Naut.) Leave of absence; permission to go on shore. At liberty. (a) Unconfined; free. (b) At leisure. Civil liberty, exemption from arbitrary interference with person, opinion, or property, on the part of the government under which one lives, and freedom to take part in modifying that government or its laws. Liberty bell. See under Bell. Liberty cap. (a) The Roman pileus which was given to a slave at his manumission. (b) A limp, close-fitting cap with which the head of representations of the goddess of liberty is often decked. It is sometimes represented on a spear or a liberty pole. Liberty of the press, freedom to print and publish without official supervision. Liberty party, the party, in the American Revolution, which favored independence of England; in more recent usage, a party which favored the emancipation of the slaves. Liberty pole, a tall flagstaff planted in the ground, often surmounted by a liberty cap. [U. S.] Moral liberty, that liberty of choice which is essential to moral responsibility. Religious liberty, freedom of religious opinion and worship. Syn: Leave; permission; license. Usage: Liberty, Freedom. These words, though often interchanged, are distinct in some of their applications. Liberty has reference to previous restraint; freedom, to the simple, unrepressed exercise of our powers. A slave is set at liberty; his master had always been in a state of freedom. A prisoner under trial may ask liberty (exemption from restraint) to speak his sentiments with freedom (the spontaneous and bold utterance of his feelings). The liberty of the press is our great security for freedom of thought.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(liberties) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Liberty is the freedom to live your life in the way that you want, without interference from other people or the authorities. Wit Wolzek claimed the legislation could impinge on privacy, self determination and respect for religious liberty... Such a system would be a fundamental blow to the rights and liberties of the English people. = freedom N-VAR see also civil liberties 2. Liberty is the freedom to go wherever you want, which you lose when you are a prisoner. Why not say that three convictions before court for stealing cars means three months' loss of liberty... N-UNCOUNT: oft at N 3. If someone is at liberty to do something, they have been given permission to do it. The island's in the Pacific Ocean; I'm not at liberty to say exactly where, because we're still negotiating for its purchase. = able PHRASE: PHR to-inf, usu v-link PHR 4. If you say that you have taken the liberty of doing something, you are saying that you have done it without asking permission. People say this when they do not think that anyone will mind what they have done. I took the liberty of going into Assunta's wardrobe, as it was open; I was looking for a towel. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR -ing [politeness] 5. If you take liberties or take a liberty with someone or something, you act in a way that is too free and does not show enough respect. Try and retain the excitement of the event in your writing, without taking liberties with the truth... She knew she was taking a big liberty in developing Mick's photos without his knowledge. PHRASE: V and N inflect, oft PHR with n

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

lib'-er-ti (deror, rachabh; eleutheria): The opposite of servitude or bondage, hence, applicable to captives or slaves set free from oppression (thus deror, Le 25:10; Isa 61:1, etc.). Morally, the power which enslaves is sin (Joh 8:34), and liberty consists, not simply in external freedom, or in possession of the formal power of choice, but in deliverance from the darkening of the mind, the tyranny of sinful lusts and the enthrallment of the will, induced by a morally corrupt state. In a positive respect, it consists in the possession of holiness, with the will and ability to do what is right and good. Such liberty is possible only in a renewed condition of soul, and cannot exist apart from godliness. Even under the Old Testament godly men could boast of a measure of such liberty (Ps 119:45, rachabh, "room," "breadth"), but it is the gospel of Christ which bestows it in its fullness, in giving a full and clear knowledge of God, discovering the way of forgiveness, supplying the highest motives to holiness and giving the Holy Spirit to destroy the power of sin and to quicken to righteousness. In implanting a new life in the soul, the gospel lifts the believer out of the sphere of external law, and gives him a sense of freedom in his new filial relation to God. Hence, the New Testament expressions about "the glorious liberty" of God's children (Ro 8:21 the King James Version; compare Ga 2:4; 5:13, etc.), about liberty as resulting from the possession of the Spirit (2Co 3:17), about "the perfect law of liberty" (Jas 1:25). The instrument through which this liberty is imparted is "the truth" (Joh 8:32). Christians are earnestly warned not to presume upon, or abuse their liberty in Christ (Ga 5:13; 1Pe 2:16).

James Orr

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Freedom (after previous restraint), liberation from foreign restraint, independence, self-direction, self-government. 2. Privilege, immunity, franchise. 3. Leave, permission, license.

Moby Thesaurus

Lehrfreiheit, OK, a leg up, academic freedom, admission, allowance, assumption, at liberty, authorization, autonomy, blank check, brevet, carte blanche, chance, charter, clear stage, concession, consent, constitutional freedom, copyright, delivery, diploma, diplomatic immunity, discharge, dispensation, emancipation, enfranchisement, exception, exemption, fair field, fair game, familiarity, favor, franchise, free, freedom, freedom from fear, freedom from want, freedom of worship, furlough, grant, holiday, hubris, immunity, imposition, independence, indulgence, initiative, lawlessness, leave, leave of absence, legislative immunity, letters patent, liberated, liberation, liberties, liberty abused, license, licentiousness, loose, occasion, okay, opening, opportunism, opportunity, paid holiday, paid vacation, patent, permission, permission to enter, place, prerogative, presumption, presumptuousness, privilege, release, right, room, royal grant, run, sabbatical, sabbatical leave, sabbatical year, scope, self-determination, self-direction, self-government, shore leave, sovereignty, special favor, special permission, stepping-stone, the Four Freedoms, the run of, ticket, ticket of admission, time, time off, unconstrained, undue liberty, unfettered, uninhibited, unrestrained, unrestricted, vacation, vouchsafement, waiver, warrant, weekend