Meanings
nounclassical liberalism (uncountable)
- uncountablegovernmentA political ideology and a branch of liberalism that advocates civil liberties under the rule of law with an emphasis on economic freedom.
It was during this period of industrialization that the individualistic world view of classical liberalism became the dominant ideology of capitalism.
1990, E. K. Hunt, Property and Prophets, 6th edition, New York: Harper & Row, →ISBN, →OCLC
Origin
A retronym to distinguish earlier 19th-century liberalism from social liberalism.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
classical liberalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/classical%20liberalism
MLA
“classical liberalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/classical%20liberalism. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “classical liberalism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/classical%20liberalism.
Source: classical liberalism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.