liberal

1 of 2

adjective

lib·er·al ˈli-b(ə-)rəl How to pronounce liberal (audio)

: of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts

liberal education

archaic : of or befitting a man of free birth

: marked by generosity : openhanded

a liberal giver

: given or provided in a generous and openhanded way

a liberal meal

: ample, full

obsolete : lacking moral restraint : licentious

: not literal or strict : loose

a liberal translation

: broad-minded

especially : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms

: of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism

capitalized : of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism

especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives

liberally

ˈli-b(ə-)rə-lē How to pronounce liberal (audio)

adverb

liberalness noun

Example Sentences

Adjective On most issues he was thought of as a generally liberal figure, but on gun control he was live-free-or-die National Rifle Association man.

Jonathan Raban, Harper's, Aug. 1993 Many fishermen keep their holes from freezing over with liberal injections of antifreeze.

Time, 28 Feb. 1974 Alexandra looked at him mournfully. "I try to be more liberal about such things than I used to be. I try to realize that we are not all made alike … "

Willa Cather, O Pioneers!, 1913 This cost him considerable, for Dick was rather fastidious about his cigars, and wouldn't smoke the cheapest. Besides, having a liberal nature, he was generally ready to treat his companions.

Horatio Alger, Ragged Dick, 1868 She is a liberal Democrat who married a conservative Republican. He made a very liberal donation to the museum. Noun a policy that is supported both by liberals and conservatives in Congress See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In April 2015, she was named the inaugural recipient of the Marsha Hunt for Humanity Award, created by Kat Kramer, the daughter of the famed liberal director-producer Stanley Kramer.

Maureen Lee Lenker, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2022 Lower-income, non-white, women, and middle-aged borrowers would benefit the most, according to the Roosevelt Institute, a liberal think tank.

Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2022 Scott Walker, lost his seat on the court in 2020 to Jill Karofsky, a member of the court's liberal minority.

Molly Beck, Journal Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 Voters in Connecticut and Maryland, liberal states where centrist Republicans have found some success in previous elections, also selected far-right candidates to go up against a Democrat in the general election.

Amy Nakamura, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2022 The candidate, a longtime Democrat, split the liberal vote, ensuring that a Republican friendly to the utility hung on to the seat.

al, 7 Sep. 2022 The two-year degrees—offered in applied computing, liberal studies or business administration—will be issued by Golden Gate University, a nonprofit institution in San Francisco.

Lindsay Ellis, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 The relationship between economic and political equality is not a liberal idea.

Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 6 Sep. 2022 Paul area, coupled with liberal policies, drove his decision.

Amy Nelson, Fox News, 29 Aug. 2022

Noun

But Breyer is also viewed as a less doctrinaire liberal than Associate Justices Elena Kagan or Sonia Sotomayor – more willing to side with the court's conservatives in certain law enforcement cases, for instance.

John Fritze, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2022 Leaders such as Texas Sen. John Cornyn, no one’s idea of a liberal on guns or anything else, began the difficult search for common ground.

William A. Galston, WSJ, 26 July 2022 Casten is more of a centrist while Newman is more of a liberal.

Amber Phillips, Washington Post, 28 June 2022 And more importantly, Breyer's replacement won't change the ideological balance of the court -- unlike Barrett, who took the place of a liberal.

Richard Galant, CNN, 30 Jan. 2022 Or, perhaps, a caricature of a liberal: no need is too trivial to necessitate her bosomy intervention.

Ariel Levy, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2022 Wickremesinghe is seen as an economic liberal and enjoys good relations with key lenders to his country, including India and China.

Hafeel Farisz, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2022 But as a card-carrying liberal, nothing quite gets my juices flowing like Tory-on-Tory infighting.

Raven Smith, Vogue, 9 June 2022 Jared Polis is often portrayed as a rational liberal whom the Democratic Party would be wise to emulate.

David Harsanyi, National Review, 5 Apr. 2022 See More

单词	liberal
释义	liberal 1 of 2 adjective lib·er·al ˈli-b(ə-)rəl 1 a : of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts liberal education b archaic : of or befitting a man of free birth 2 a : marked by generosity : openhanded a liberal giver b : given or provided in a generous and openhanded way a liberal meal c : ample, full 3 obsolete : lacking moral restraint : licentious 4 : not literal or strict : loose a liberal translation 5 : broad-minded especially : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms 6 a : of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism b capitalized : of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives liberally ˈli-b(ə-)rə-lē adverb liberalness noun liberal 2 of 2 noun lib·er·al ˈli-b(ə-)rəl : a person who is liberal: such as a : one who is open-minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional, or established forms or ways b capitalized : a member or supporter of a liberal political party (see liberal entry 1 sense 6) c : an advocate or adherent of liberalism especially in individual rights Synonyms Adjective broad-minded nonconventional nonorthodox nontraditional open-minded progressive radical unconventional unorthodox See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Adjective On most issues he was thought of as a generally liberal figure, but on gun control he was live-free-or-die National Rifle Association man. Jonathan Raban, Harper's, Aug. 1993 Many fishermen keep their holes from freezing over with liberal injections of antifreeze. Time, 28 Feb. 1974 Alexandra looked at him mournfully. "I try to be more liberal about such things than I used to be. I try to realize that we are not all made alike … " Willa Cather, O Pioneers!, 1913 This cost him considerable, for Dick was rather fastidious about his cigars, and wouldn't smoke the cheapest. Besides, having a liberal nature, he was generally ready to treat his companions. Horatio Alger, Ragged Dick, 1868 She is a liberal Democrat who married a conservative Republican. He made a very liberal donation to the museum. Noun a policy that is supported both by liberals and conservatives in Congress See More Recent Examples on the Web Adjective In April 2015, she was named the inaugural recipient of the Marsha Hunt for Humanity Award, created by Kat Kramer, the daughter of the famed liberal director-producer Stanley Kramer. Maureen Lee Lenker, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2022 Lower-income, non-white, women, and middle-aged borrowers would benefit the most, according to the Roosevelt Institute, a liberal think tank. Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2022 Scott Walker, lost his seat on the court in 2020 to Jill Karofsky, a member of the court's liberal minority. Molly Beck, Journal Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 Voters in Connecticut and Maryland, liberal states where centrist Republicans have found some success in previous elections, also selected far-right candidates to go up against a Democrat in the general election. Amy Nakamura, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2022 The candidate, a longtime Democrat, split the liberal vote, ensuring that a Republican friendly to the utility hung on to the seat. al, 7 Sep. 2022 The two-year degrees—offered in applied computing, liberal studies or business administration—will be issued by Golden Gate University, a nonprofit institution in San Francisco. Lindsay Ellis, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 The relationship between economic and political equality is not a liberal idea. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 6 Sep. 2022 Paul area, coupled with liberal policies, drove his decision. Amy Nelson, Fox News, 29 Aug. 2022 Noun But Breyer is also viewed as a less doctrinaire liberal than Associate Justices Elena Kagan or Sonia Sotomayor – more willing to side with the court's conservatives in certain law enforcement cases, for instance. John Fritze, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2022 Leaders such as Texas Sen. John Cornyn, no one’s idea of a liberal on guns or anything else, began the difficult search for common ground. William A. Galston, WSJ, 26 July 2022 Casten is more of a centrist while Newman is more of a liberal. Amber Phillips, Washington Post, 28 June 2022 And more importantly, Breyer's replacement won't change the ideological balance of the court -- unlike Barrett, who took the place of a liberal. Richard Galant, CNN, 30 Jan. 2022 Or, perhaps, a caricature of a liberal: no need is too trivial to necessitate her bosomy intervention. Ariel Levy, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2022 Wickremesinghe is seen as an economic liberal and enjoys good relations with key lenders to his country, including India and China. Hafeel Farisz, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2022 But as a card-carrying liberal, nothing quite gets my juices flowing like Tory-on-Tory infighting. Raven Smith, Vogue, 9 June 2022 Jared Polis is often portrayed as a rational liberal whom the Democratic Party would be wise to emulate. David Harsanyi, National Review, 5 Apr. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Adjective and Noun Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin liberalis suitable for a freeman, generous, from liber free; perhaps akin to Old English lēodan to grow, Greek eleutheros free First Known Use Adjective 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a Noun 1814, in the meaning defined above Phrases Containing liberal anti-liberal liberal arts limousine liberal anti-liberal liberal arts limousine liberal Kids Definition liberal adjective lib·er·al ˈli-bə-rəl ˈli-brəl 1 : not stingy : generous She made a liberal donation. 2 : not strict That's a liberal interpretation of the rule. 3 : broad sense 4 I got a liberal education. liberal 1 of 2 adjective 1 as in progressive not bound by traditional ways or beliefs parents who take a very liberal attitude toward letting their children stay out late Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance progressive modern radical contemporary unconventional nontraditional nonconventional broad-minded open-minded unorthodox tolerant permissive advanced lenient nonorthodox large-minded extreme impartial forbearing unbiased indulgent objective Antonyms & Near Antonyms conservative traditional conventional orthodox hidebound stodgy rigid nonprogressive strict dogmatic hard doctrinal bigoted old-fashioned dogmatical intolerant reactionary blinkered unreconstructed narrow-minded See More 2 as in generous being more than enough without being excessive he always puts liberal amounts of grated cheese on his pizza Synonyms & Similar Words generous plenty plentiful ample enough abundant comfortable bountiful sufficient wealthy bounteous plenteous adequate rich cornucopian all kinds of surplus extra aplenty thick on the ground galore plump teeming lavish prolific fertile supernumerary abounding blooming prodigal fecund overflowing copious rife fruitful replete profuse luxuriant fulsome fat Antonyms & Near Antonyms minimal inadequate lacking insufficient deficient bare spare scant wanting least small stingy meager minimum light skimpy slight niggardly sterile unproductive meagre barren infertile unfruitful See More 3 as in charitable giving or sharing in abundance and without hesitation a doctor who has been very liberal in dispensing low-cost care to patients who could not otherwise afford it Synonyms & Similar Words generous charitable benevolent munificent unselfish handsome compassionate bountiful kind fulsome openhanded bighearted bounteous unsparing open unstinting humanitarian philanthropic hospitable sympathetic free altruistic freehearted philanthropical extravagant overgenerous lavish freehanded magnanimous beneficent profuse kindly big openhearted samaritan largehearted good-hearted greathearted Antonyms & Near Antonyms selfish illiberal parsimonious stingy small uncharitable penurious cheap ungenerous petty miserly tightfisted tight thrifty close costive niggardly frugal mean spare sparing mingy chary avaricious closefisted desirous avid rapacious stinting mercenary acquisitive hoggish covetous envious resentful grudging itchy grasping begrudging stinting coveting See More liberal 2 of 2 noun as in leftist Synonyms & Similar Words leftist progressive lefty radical extremist reformist modern modernist revolutionary bohemian revolutionist neophiliac reformer ultramodernist Antonyms & Near Antonyms conservative reactionary rightist fossil fogey fogy antediluvian veteran traditionalist dodo conformist standpatter stick-in-the-mud neoconservative fuddy-duddy old hand neocon right-winger archconservative Tory square diehard paleoconservative stuffed shirt old-timer Bourbon Colonel Blimp See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of liberal are bountiful, generous, and munificent. While all these words mean "giving or given freely and unstintingly," liberal suggests openhandedness in the giver and largeness in the thing or amount given. a teacher liberal with her praise The words bountiful and liberal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bountiful suggests lavish, unremitting giving or providing. children spoiled by bountiful presents The synonyms generous and liberal are sometimes interchangeable, but generous stresses warmhearted readiness to give more than size or importance of the gift. a generous offer of help While the synonyms munificent and liberal are close in meaning, munificent suggests a scale of giving appropriate to lords or princes. a munificent foundation grant
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liberal

adjective

noun

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing liberal

Kids Definition

adjective

adjective

noun

Synonym Chooser