Definition of: liberty

(lib′ər·tē) noun plural ·ties
1. The state of being exempt from the domination of others or from restricting circumstances; freedom.
2. A special exemption; franchise; privilege; in the U. S. Navy, permission to be absent from one's ship or station for a short period.
3. Unusual or undue freedom or familiarity.
4. The possession and exercise of the right of self–government.
5. The power of voluntary choice; freedom from necessity.
6. A place or district within which certain immunities or privileges are enjoyed; specifically, in England, a district within a county, exempt from the jurisdiction of the sheriff.
—at liberty Free; unconflned; having permission (to do something).
—civil liberty Freedom of the individual citizen from government control, restraint of, or interference with, his property, opinions, or affairs, except as the public good may require.
—individual liberty Freedom from restraint in the performance of rights outside of government control.
—political liberty The right to participate in the election of rulers and the making and administration of laws. [<F liberté <L libertas, -tatis <liber free] Synonyms: emancipation, freedom, independence, license. In general terms, it may be said that freedom is absolute, liberty relative; freedom is the absence of restraint, liberty is the removal or avoidance of restraint. The two words are constantly interchanged; the slave is set at liberty, or gains his freedom. Independence is said of states or nations, freedom and liberty of individuals. Liberty keeps strictly to the thought of being clear from restraint or compulsion; freedom takes a wider range, applying to other oppressive influences; we speak of freedom from annoyance or intrusion. License is a permission or privilege granted by adequate authority, a bounded liberty; in the wider sense, license is an ignoring and defiance of all that should restrain. See PERMISSION, RIGHT. Antonyms: captivity, compulsion, constraint, imprisonment, necessity, obligation, oppression, serfdom, servitude, slavery, superstition.