liberation

/ˌlɪbəˈreɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌlɪbəˈreɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌli-bə-ˈrā-shən/ (ame, mw)

liberation — noun

1. Freeing a person, a place, or an animal from captivity, outside control, or a di

1.名詞B2
釋義

Freeing a person, a place, or an animal from captivity, outside control, or a difficult situation that limits their choices — for example, letting prisoners out of jail, ending foreign rule over a country, or leaving a harmful personal situation.

例句

Walid's family celebrated the city's liberation after years of foreign military control.

the liberation of a place from control

The liberation of the prisoners was planned for weeks and carried out at dawn.

uncountable: the liberation of + people

同義詞
  • freedom

    more general and everyday; 'freedom' is a state, while 'liberation' is the act of becoming free

  • release

    more physical and concrete; 'release' implies letting go from a specific confinement, less political weight

  • emancipation

    more formal and legal; specifically about being freed from legal or social restrictions, such as slavery

反義詞
  • captivity

    the state of being held against one's will

  • oppression

    prolonged cruel or unfair treatment or control

  • imprisonment

    the state of being confined in a prison

文法句型

the liberation of [something/someone]

[possessive] liberation

用法筆記

Common in contexts of war, politics, and social justice. When used with 'of', the object is what is being set free (e.g., 'the liberation of the town').

常見錯誤

❌The liberation happened yesterday' (too vague).
✅The liberation of the village happened yesterday.
💡liberation is usually followed by 'of' to specify who or what was freed.
❌I felt a liberation after quitting' (sounds odd as a countable noun).
✅I felt a sense of liberation after quitting.
💡liberation is uncountable; use 'a sense of liberation' as a common fixed phrase.

2. the activities, ideas, and efforts aimed at removing unfair treatment and winnin

2.名詞B2
釋義

the activities, ideas, and efforts aimed at removing unfair treatment and winning equal rights for a particular group of people within society — for example, women, gay people, or ethnic minorities who face discrimination.

例句

The women's liberation movement of the 1960s pushed for equal pay and wider career choices.

women's liberation: social movement for gender equality

Christopher became active in animal liberation after seeing how livestock were treated on industrial farms.

animal liberation: movement for animal rights

同義詞
  • equal rights movement

    broader and more neutral; focuses on the outcome rather than the act of 'freeing'

  • emancipation

    more formal, often used for historical movements (e.g., slave emancipation)

  • civil rights movement

    more specific; usually refers to the struggle for racial equality, especially in the US

反義詞

文法句型

[group] liberation

the liberation movement

[group] liberation movement

用法筆記

When used as part of a compound (e.g., 'women's liberation', 'animal liberation'), the first word identifies the group seeking equal treatment. This sense often carries a political or activist tone and was especially common in the 1960s–1970s.

常見錯誤

❌The liberation for animals is growing' (wrong preposition).
✅The animal liberation movement is growing.
💡'liberation' in this sense usually appears in compounds, not with 'for'.
❌I support liberation of women' (grammatically awkward without movement/struggle).
✅I support the women's liberation movement.
💡use the compound form with a group name.