favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.
(often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.
of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism, especially the freedom of the individual and governmental guarantees of individual rights and liberties.
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.
favoring or permitting freedom of action, especially with respect to matters of personal belief or expression.
a liberal policy toward dissident artists and writers.
of or relating to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.
free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant.
a liberal attitude toward foreigners.
open-minded or tolerant, especially free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.
characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts.
a liberal donor.
given freely or abundantly; generous.
a liberal donation.
not strict or rigorous; not literal; free.
a liberal interpretation of a rule.
of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts.
of, relating to, or befitting a freeman.
a person of liberal principles or views, especially in politics or religion.
(often initial capital letter) a member of a liberal party in politics, especially of the Liberal party in Great Britain.
relating to or having social and political views that favour progress and reform
relating to or having policies or views advocating individual freedom
giving and generous in temperament or behaviour
tolerant of other people
abundant; lavish
a liberal helping of cream
not strict; free
a liberal translation
of or relating to an education that aims to develop general cultural interests and intellectual ability
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.
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
A liberal is someone on the left wing of politics — the opposite of a conservative. Also, a liberal attitude toward anything means more tolerance for change. There are many meanings for liberal, but they mostly have to do with freedom and openness to change. A teacher with a liberal policy toward attendance is going to be forgiving of missed days. A bank with a liberal attitude toward your money would probably be bad: some things are awful if they're loose and free. But no one will give you a hard time if you use a liberal amount of catsup on your fries.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There are those who want to see a more liberal approach to drilling.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
"For some of us, those threats have come very close, and all of us live with the knowledge that they may again materialize," Kagan, a liberal justice, told lawmakers in the House hearing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Like the book’s Faye, Knoll went to a private liberal arts college.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
When he doesn’t like a lawyer’s answer—or when he disagrees with a comment from one of the court’s liberal justices—he has been known to grimace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The spiritual press appealed to their typically liberal audience with articles on the benefits of racial equality and leadership qualities in women.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Anna Sabine MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport said Fifa behaves "more like a closed-shop cartel than a neutral global sporting body".
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Liberal Democrat cabinet member for environmental services, Chris Wiggin, said the event was "diverting textiles from waste by prioritising reuse and recycling instead of being discarded as waste".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
His rivalry with William Gladstone of the Liberal Party shaped the mid-Victorian era.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
"The referendum is the cloud over everything," said Corey Hogan, a Liberal MP from Calgary who invited dozens of his colleagues from across the country to this year's stampede to promote unity.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Every building, including the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, was outlined in white bulbs.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Five justices — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, along with the three liberals — upheld the constitutionality of the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
Justice Elena Kagan, who was joined by the two other liberals on the court and three conservatives, wrote the majority opinion.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
This doesn’t mean conservatives and liberals will agree in practice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
In 1973, Tom Bradley became L.A.’s. first Black mayor by assembling Black, Jewish, white and Latino liberals into a coalition that ended decades of conservative white rule at City Hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
I could picture going up in flames copies of Dickens, Stevenson, Zola, Doyle, Shakespeare and many others—donations by white liberals appalled by the state of black education.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
