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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Previously, the Liberal Democrats said they had spoken to a number of people affected in the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf constituency, adding "the system has let them down".
From BBC • May 6, 2026
Willie Rennie, of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said workforce planning was needed to improve childcare.
From BBC • May 3, 2026
The Welsh Liberal Democrats said: "If we want these treatments to work, we need proper investment in NHS capacity, weight management support and fair access for those who need it."
From BBC • May 2, 2026
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged the prime minister to provide "additional protective security measures to the Jewish community without delay".
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
Burnham fought to boost the rate of construction, especially of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, which had to be completed by Dedication Day.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
