Liberal

¹

[lib-er-uhl, lib-ruhl]

noun

1. a city in SW Kansas.

liberal

²

[lib-er-uhl, lib-ruhl]

adjective

1. favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

   Synonyms: progressive
   Antonyms: reactionary

2. (often initial capital letter),  noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.

3. of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism, especially the freedom of the individual and governmental guarantees of individual rights and liberties.

4. favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, especially as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.

5. favoring or permitting freedom of action, especially with respect to matters of personal belief or expression.

   a liberal policy toward dissident artists and writers.

6. of or relating to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.

7. free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant.

   a liberal attitude toward foreigners.

   Synonyms: unprejudiced, broad-minded

8. open-minded or tolerant, especially free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.

   Antonyms: intolerant

9. characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts.

   a liberal donor.

   Synonyms: lavish, unstinting, munificent, openhanded, charitable, beneficent

10. given freely or abundantly; generous.

    a liberal donation.

11. not strict or rigorous; not literal; free.

    a liberal interpretation of a rule.

12. of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts.

13. of, relating to, or befitting a freeman.

noun

1. a person of liberal principles or views, especially in politics or religion.

2. (often initial capital letter),  a member of a liberal party in politics, especially of the Liberal party in Great Britain.

liberal

¹

/ ˈlɪbrəl, ˈlɪbərəl /

adjective

1. relating to or having social and political views that favour progress and reform

2. relating to or having policies or views advocating individual freedom

3. giving and generous in temperament or behaviour

4. tolerant of other people

5. abundant; lavish

   a liberal helping of cream

6. not strict; free

   a liberal translation

7. of or relating to an education that aims to develop general cultural interests and intellectual ability

noun

1. a person who has liberal ideas or opinions

Liberal

²

/ ˈlɪbərəl, ˈlɪbrəl /

noun

1. a member or supporter of a Liberal Party or Liberal Democrat party

adjective

1. of or relating to a Liberal Party

liberal

1. A descriptive term for persons, policies, and beliefs associated with liberalism.

Other Word Forms

• liberally adverb
• liberalness noun
• antiliberal adjective
• antiliberalness noun
• half-liberal adjective
• nonliberal adjective
• overliberal adjective
• preliberal adjective
• pseudoliberal adjective
• quasi-liberal adjective
• semiliberal adjective
• unliberal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Liberal¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin līberālis “of freedom, befitting the free, honorable,” equivalent to līber “free, open, frank” + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of Liberal¹

C14: from Latin līberālis of freedom, from līber free

Synonym Study

See generous. See ample.

Example Sentences

They worked in the shadow of what scholars and commentators called “the liberal consensus” that was formed around the New Deal and, later, the civil rights revolution.

Read more on Salon

Rob Jetten's achievement in dragging his socially liberal D66 party from fifth place to the top of Dutch politics in less than two years has been extraordinary.

Read more on BBC

The centrist liberals under Rob Jetten have taken a shock lead in the Dutch election, according to the main exit poll, two years after his party languished in fifth place in the last vote.

Read more on BBC

The old engagement, championed by decades of U.S. policymakers, was built on a liberal, aspirational hope: that economic integration would inevitably lead to a more open, politically reformed China.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Gone are the days of laundry pods, liberal dosing on the dish sponge or covering all the bristles on his toothbrush with toothpaste, he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• broad 
• flexible 
• lenient 
• loose 
• relaxed 

When To Use

What does liberal mean?

Liberal means favorable to reform or progress, such as in religion or politics. Generally, a person is considered to be liberal if they support changes or reforms to something, as in The pastor was especially liberal and argued for changes to the ceremony to better fit with modern society. Progressive is a commonly used synonym for this sense of liberal, while conservative, meaning in favor of existing conditions or restoring older ones, an antonym.Liberal also means of, related to, based on, or supporting liberalism, a philosophy that argues for maximum individual freedoms and liberties.Somewhat related to this, liberal can mean open minded or tolerant, as in She had a liberal attitude toward foreign immigrants.Liberal is also used to mean not strict or not literal, as in The judge practiced a liberal interpretation of the truancy laws, often not punishing students for skipping school. And liberal is used to describe generous giving, as in John was a liberal donor to his college. Finally, liberal can be a synonym for abundant or ample, as in He dumped a liberal amount of sprinkles on his ice cream. As a noun, liberal is used to refer to a person who has liberal views, especially on politics or religion. When capitalized, Liberal refers to a member of a liberal political party, such as the Liberal party of Great Britain.Example: The prime minister faced intense criticism from the liberal members of the government, who demanded change to the traditional policies.