neoliberal

American

[nee-oh-lib-er-uhl, -lib-ruhl] / ˌni oʊˈlɪb ər əl, -ˈlɪb rəl /

adjective

being or relating to a faction of the liberal political movement that strongly supports free-market capitalism as the means for societal and human progress.

The criticism of neoliberal policies among more left-leaning scholars has been going on for years.

noun

a person who is politically liberal and strongly supports free-market capitalism as the means for societal and human progress.

She was a popular candidate with neoliberals.

Etymology

Origin of neoliberal

First recorded in 1895–1900; neo- ( def. ) + liberal ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The subsequent transnational, neoliberal economic order was also a gift to his country and the world, lifting billions out of poverty.

From The Wall Street Journal

And lots of the neoliberal process and particularly the leveraged buyout revolution, in my view, was explicitly disciplinary.

From Salon

"Adam Smith is seen as this neoliberal, laissez-faire, 'invisible hand' theorist, but that’s a caricature. He was much more interested in poor people flourishing and issues of power and empire."

From Salon

Sustainable organizations, a bit like what happened before the neoliberal period with the unions, with the civil rights struggles, where there were proper structures, proper leadership, functional hierarchies.

From Salon

"He was tweeting neoliberal, happy-go-lucky things, and pride flags and so on, until around 2018, and the change happened pretty drastically after that," he said.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023