liberal arts
plural noun
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Why do we call the liberal arts "liberal"?
The liberal in liberal arts is not political. Its roots can be traced to the Latin word liber, meaning “free, unrestricted.” Our language took the term from the Latin liberales artes, which described the education given to members of the upper classes as well as to those with the full rights of a citizen; this education involved training in such subjects as grammar, logic, geometry, etc., as opposed to the education reserved for the lower classes, which involved mechanical or occupational skills. The phrase liberal arts has been part of our language for a very long time, with use dating back to the 14th century.
Examples of liberal arts in a Sentence
Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Wysocki sees the liberal arts as critical to broad thinking and meaningful work.
—Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Its signatories included many Catholic universities, liberal arts colleges, other private universities and a few state universities.
—Kristen Taketa, Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2025
Founded in 1889, Eastern has grown from a modest normal school into Connecticut’s public liberal arts university.
—Karim Ismaili, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liberal arts
Cite this Entry
“Liberal arts.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberal%20arts. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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