postliberal

P3O1S1T1L1I1B3E1R1A1L1

adjective

After the introduction of liberalism; following or opposing liberalism; antiliberal.

“Near-synonym: neo-reactionary”

Opposite
Scrabble 15

Meanings

adjectivepostliberal (not comparable)

alternative post-liberal

  1. not comparablegovernmentAfter the introduction of liberalism; following or opposing liberalism; antiliberal.

    Near-synonym: neo-reactionary

    3 more examples

    But if we hope to create a humane postliberal future, we cannot pretend that the age of liberalism did not happen or that its basic contours can simply be jettisoned in some sort of restoration of an idyllic preliberal age.

    2018, Patrick J. Deneen, Why Liberalism Failed, New Haven: Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 184

    He [Patrick Deneen] also offers a vague reassurance that the postliberal future will not revive the prejudice and bigotry of the past.

    2023 June 7, Jennifer Szalai, “When ‘Regime Change’ Means Returning America to an Idealized Past”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

    The essence of the initial postliberal movement, in Pinkoski’s view, is the abandonment of the “essential tenet of liberalism: the state-society, public-private distinction,” in favor of a model of politics in which the state acts in a concert with an ever-widening array of nongovernmental partners, […].

    2024 November 1, Ross Douthat, “Who Abandoned Liberalism First, the Populists or the Establishment?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

    Antonyms: preliberal

  2. not comparablelifestyleRelating to postliberal theology.
nounpostliberal (plural postliberals)

plural postliberals · alternative post-liberal

  1. A proponent of postliberalism.

    He [Patrick Deneen] calls on postliberals to aim big, “embracing, fostering and protecting not only the nation but that which is both smaller and larger than the nation.”

    2023 June 7, Jennifer Szalai, “When ‘Regime Change’ Means Returning America to an Idealized Past”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveAfter the introduction of liberalism; following or opposing liberalism; antiliberal.

Opposite

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

postliberal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/postliberal

MLA

“postliberal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/postliberal. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “postliberal,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/postliberal.

Source: postliberal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.