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• liberal
  liberal

  adjective

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

  noun

  a city in SW Kansas.

liberal

¹ American  

[lib-er-uhl, lib-ruhl] / ˈlɪb ər əl, ˈlɪb rəl /

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.

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noun

• liberals
  plural

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 ² American  

[lib-er-uhl, lib-ruhl] / ˈlɪb ər əl, ˈlɪb rəl /

noun

1. a city in SW Kansas.

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Liberal ¹ British  

/ ˈlɪbərəl, ˈlɪbrəl /

noun

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

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adjective

1. of or relating to a Liberal Party

liberal ² British  

/ 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

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noun

1. a person who has liberal ideas or opinions

liberal Cultural  

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

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Usage

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.  

Synonym Usage

See generous. See ample.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• liberals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of liberal

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

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

liberal Liberal liberals

The prolific and acclaimed writer and activist used his liberal beliefs and his agrarian roots in Kentucky to craft novels, poems and essays connecting the natural world to humankind.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Given Anwar's one-time reputation as a champion of liberal values, he might have been expected to push back against this wave of hate and disinformation.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

He told BBC London: "We've got a really good liberal message: we care about the things you care about, and we're going to work really hard for you."

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

The liberal arts introduce students to the best that has been thought and said, teaching them to listen before they speak and inherit before they innovate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

In 1931 he had published The Whig Interpretation of History, which attacked historians who wrote as if English history led naturally and inevitably to the triumph of liberal values.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

"It will take more than a manifesto. It will take a movement, rooted in decency, fairness and community. British values. Liberal values," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Steffan Aquarone, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, accused Sutton of acting more like pop star Taylor Swift than a politician.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

"This plenary session is more important than the World Cup final," Sostenes Cavalcante, leader of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party leader in the Chamber of Deputies, said Monday.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

When Carney ran for prime minister, his Liberal party had been in power for 10 years and he faced a 25-point deficit in the polls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

A bit too tremendous, he noted cattily, at least in the case of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

In their coalition agreement for governing the city, the Social Democrats and liberals pledged to expand public toilet provision and examine whether public toilets could be made free for everyone.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

A unifying cultural figure beloved by both liberals and conservatives, Stapleton was the headlining act at a Fourth of July benefit concert that also featured Smashing Pumpkins, Chaka Khan, Maren Morris and Queen Latifah.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

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

Yet it was somehow 5–4, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett and the three liberals joining Roberts in full.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026

For many African American voters, the Populist approach was preferable to the paternalism of liberals.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• broad
• flexible
• lenient
• loose
• relaxed