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 andrespect for religious liberty.
Such a system would be a fundamental blow to the rights and liberties of the Englishpeople.
Synonyms: independence, sovereignty, liberation, autonomy More Synonyms of liberty
2. See also civil liberties
3. uncountable noun [oft atNOUN]
Liberty is the freedom to go wherever you want, which you lose when you are a prisoner.
Drug addicts need help, not loss of liberty.
He was at liberty, but under 24-hour surveillance.
4.
See at liberty to do
5.
See take the liberty of doing something
6.
See take liberties
More Synonyms of liberty
liberty in British English
(ˈlɪbətɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-ties
1.
the power of choosing, thinking, and acting for oneself; freedom from control or restriction
2.
the right or privilege of access to a particular place; freedom
3. (often plural)
a social action regarded as being familiar, forward, or improper
4. (often plural)
an action that is unauthorized or unwarranted in the circumstances
he took liberties with the translation
5.
a.
authorized leave granted to a sailor
b.
(as modifier)
liberty man
liberty boat
6. at liberty
7. take liberties
8. take the liberty
Word origin
C14: from Old French liberté, from Latin lībertās, from līber free
Liberty in British English
(ˈlɪbətɪ)
noun
(in Britain) an organization that campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights
Official name: National Council for Civil Liberties
liberty in American English
(ˈlɪbərti)
nounWord forms: pluralˈliberties
1.
freedom or release from slavery, imprisonment, captivity, or any other form of arbitrary control
2.
the sum of rights and exemptions possessed in common by the people of a community, state, etc.
see also civil liberties, political liberty
3.
a particular right, franchise, or exemption from compulsion
4.
a too free, too familiar, or impertinent action or attitude
5.
the limits within which a certain amount of freedom may be exercised
to have the liberty of the third floor
6.
a.
permission given to a sailor to go ashore; specif., in the U.S. Navy, permission given to an enlisted person to be absent from duty for a period ordinarily of 48 hours or less
b.
the period of time given
7. Philosophy
freedom to choose; freedom from compulsion or constraint
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈfreedom
Idioms:
at liberty
take liberties
Word origin
ME & OFr liberte < L libertas < liber, free: see liberal
COBUILD Collocations
liberty
religious liberty
Examples of 'liberty' in a sentence
liberty
You can take liberties to mess with them.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The promise of freedom, liberty and the rights of man.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Anyone who does it is well aware that they are risking their own life and liberty and the life of any innocent who gets in their way.
The Sun (2016)
But he will take no liberties against the part-timers and their 14,000 fans.
The Sun (2017)
Indeed, instead of seeking to curtail other people 's liberty we should always be seeking to defend it.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Economists disagree as much as anyone else on the right balance of liberty and equality, income and leisure, growth and the environment and other vital policy issues.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The rebels against him risk life and liberty.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Civil liberties groups blasted the new system.
The Sun (2009)
The freedom of nasty people is the liberty of us all.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Forget all this stuff about civil liberties.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
They stood for religious liberty and freedom of conscience.
Christianity Today (2000)
The implications for privacy and civil liberties are staggering.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Convention law distinguished between prisoners and individuals at liberty.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Maybe we should do the right thing and give it up before we lose our liberty.
The Sun (2015)
Respect and liberty are not easy bedfellows.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It is founded on the denial of religious liberty.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
The limited role of government is to defend religious liberty and the freedom of worship and association.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Privacy and civil liberties versus heightened surveillance and security powers.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Civil liberties groups are likely to warn that some of the measures could lead to curbs on free speech.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
There is now considerable consensus that policies intended to restrict urbanization do not work and frequently involve profound infringements of individual liberty.
Tomlinson, Richard Urbanization in Post-Apartheid South Africa (1990)
Another sideshow with extra zing this year involves the liberties Hollywood takes with history.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Europe and Canada have much stronger laws to protect individual liberties and rights on the web.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
We are the defenders of this country's civil liberties.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
A man 's liberty could have rested on his deception.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Forgive me if I take a liberty.
George Eliot Middlemarch (1872)
He lost his liberty privileges and, with them, his equilibrium.
Shawn Levy READY, STEADY, GO!: Swinging London and the Invention of Cool (2002)
Quotations
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!Patrick Henry
Liberty is liberty, not equality or fairness or justice or human happiness or a quiet conscienceIsaiah BerlinTwo Concepts of Liberty
Liberty is precious - so precious that it must be rationedLenin
Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread itGeorge Bernard ShawMan and Superman
Liberty too must be limited in order to be possessedEdmund BurkeLetter to the Sheriffs of Bristol
The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other peopleJohn Stuart MillOn Liberty
In other languages
liberty
British English: liberty NOUN
Liberty is the freedom to live your life in the way that you want, without interference from other people or the authorities.
...the ideal of equality and the appreciation of liberty.
American English: liberty
Brazilian Portuguese: liberdade
Chinese: 自由
European Spanish: libertad
French: liberté
German: Freiheit
Italian: libertà
Japanese: 自由
Korean: 자유
European Portuguese: liberdade
Latin American Spanish: libertad
Chinese translation of 'liberty'
liberty
(ˈlɪbətɪ)
n(c/u)
自由 (zìyóu)
to be at liberty[criminal]自由的 (zìyóu de)
to be at liberty to do sth有权(權)做某事 (yǒuquán zuò mǒushì)
to take the liberty of doing sth冒昧地做某事 (màomèi de zuò mǒushì)
1 (noun)
Definition
the freedom to choose, think, and act for oneself
Such a system would be a blow to the liberty of the people.
Synonyms
independence
The country gained independence in 1962.
sovereignty
liberation
autonomy
They stepped up their demands for local autonomy.
immunity
The police are offering immunity to witnesses who can help them.
self-determination
The principle of self-determination is sacred to us.
emancipation
self-government
a campaign for more self-government
self-rule
2 (noun)
Definition
the right of unrestricted movement and access
Three convictions meant three months' loss of liberty.
Synonyms
freedom
All hostages and detainees would gain their freedom.
liberation
Passover recalls the liberation from slavery in Egypt.
redemption
offering redemption from our sins
emancipation
the emancipation of slaves in the nineteenth century
deliverance
their sudden deliverance from war
manumission
The country's manumission began in 1762.
enfranchisement
unshackling
unfettering
Opposites
restraint
,
constraint
,
slavery
,
imprisonment
,
captivity
,
tyranny
,
enslavement
,
restriction
,
duress
phrase
See at liberty
idiom
See take liberties or a liberty
Quotations
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death! [Patrick Henry]Liberty is liberty, not equality or fairness or justice or human happiness or a quiet conscience [Isaiah Berlin – Two Concepts of Liberty]Liberty is precious - so precious that it must be rationed [Lenin]Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it [George Bernard Shaw – Man and Superman]Liberty too must be limited in order to be possessed [Edmund Burke – Letter to the Sheriffs of Bristol]The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people [John Stuart Mill – On Liberty]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of autonomy
Definition
freedom to determine one's own actions and behaviour
They stepped up their demands for local autonomy.
Synonyms
independence,
freedom,
sovereignty,
self-determination,
self-government,
self-rule,
self-sufficiency,
home rule,
rangatiratanga (New Zealand)
in the sense of deliverance
their sudden deliverance from war
Synonyms
release,
rescue,
liberation,
salvation,
redemption,
ransom,
emancipation
in the sense of emancipation
the emancipation of slaves in the nineteenth century
Synonyms
liberation,
freedom,
freeing,
release,
liberty,
discharge,
liberating,
setting free,
letting loose,
untying,
deliverance,
unchaining,
manumission,
enfranchisement,
unshackling,
unfettering
Synonyms of 'liberty'
liberty
Explore 'liberty' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of immunity
Definition
freedom from prosecution, tax, etc.
The police are offering immunity to witnesses who can help them.
Synonyms
exemption,
amnesty,
indemnity,
release,
freedom,
liberty,
privilege,
prerogative,
invulnerability,
exoneration
in the sense of liberation
Passover recalls the liberation from slavery in Egypt.
Synonyms
freeing,
release,
freedom,
liberty,
liberating,
redemption,
emancipation,
deliverance,
manumission,
enfranchisement,
unshackling,
unfettering
in the sense of manumission
The country's manumission began in 1762.
Synonyms
freeing,
release,
liberation,
emancipation,
deliverance,
unchaining,
enfranchisement
in the sense of redemption
Definition
deliverance from sin through the incarnation and death of Christ
offering redemption from our sins
Synonyms
salvation,
release,
rescue,
liberation,
ransom,
emancipation,
deliverance
in the sense of self-determination
Definition
the right of a nation or people to determine its own form of government
The principle of self-determination is sacred to us.
Synonyms
independence,
freedom,
autonomy,
liberty,
separation,
sovereignty,
self-government,
self-rule,
self-sufficiency,
self-reliance,
home rule,
autarchy,
rangatiratanga (New Zealand)
in the sense of self-government
Definition
the government of a country, nation, or community by its own people