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单词 liberal
释义

liberal

/ˈlɪb(ə)r(ə)l /
adjective
1Willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one’s own; open to new ideas: liberal views towards divorce...
  • In spite of all experience they hoped that Prussia was more open to liberal ideas than Austria.
  • Western countries pride themselves on their supposedly liberal acceptance of different cultures.
  • Why do liberal ideas often connect to unhappiness?
1.1Favourable to or respectful of individual rights and freedoms: liberal citizenship laws...
  • Crime rates here are comparable to, and in many cases lower than, those in countries with liberal gun laws.
  • Freedom and a liberal society was redeemed for some but not all.
  • Look at Ireland and Scotland and their liberal liquor laws - drunks rage all night.

Synonyms

tolerant, unprejudiced, unbigoted, broad-minded, open-minded, enlightened, forbearing;
permissive, free, free and easy, easy-going, laissez-faire, libertarian, latitudinarian, unbiased, impartial, non-partisan, indulgent, lenient, lax, soft
1.2(In a political context) favouring individual liberty, free trade, and moderate political and social reform: a liberal democratic state...
  • Social reformism within a liberal democratic framework is apparently just one more snare in the mechanism of domination.
  • It comes from a deep-seated conviction that there is only one economic system, the globalised free market, set in the political context of liberal democracy.
  • The Democrats have abandoned any policy of liberal social reform and adapted themselves, in deeds if not in words, to the class-war policies of the Republicans.

Synonyms

progressive, advanced, modern, forward-looking, forward-thinking, progressivist, go-ahead, enlightened, reformist, radical;
left-wing, leftist, freethinking, politically correct, PC
informal right-on
1.3 (Liberal) Relating to Liberals or a Liberal Party, especially (in the UK) relating to the Liberal Democrat party: the Liberal leader...
  • No, both the Labor and Liberal Parties have always used their patronage system to sometimes stack the board with party political hacks.
  • You have to go back to before the First World War when the then Liberal party held the reins of power in the city.
  • If you're in a safe Labor or safe Liberal seat, you'll get nothing.
1.4 Theology Regarding many traditional beliefs as dispensable, invalidated by modern thought, or liable to change.Others who had found that church too theologically liberal for their tastes espoused a more traditional theology....
  • In this regard then, post-Christian liberal religion is at odds with peace and justice movements that struggle to remain Christian.
  • These similarities notwithstanding, liberal Catholicism and Modern Orthodoxy seem to be currently facing two different fates.
2 [attributive] (Of education) concerned with broadening a person’s general knowledge and experience, rather than with technical or professional training: the provision of liberal adult education...
  • In Korea, general education, rather than liberal education, is the preferred term.
  • Community colleges offering two-year programs in liberal education and occupational training meet both of these criteria.
  • Learning communities can bring general education, liberal education, and, sometimes, the major together.

Synonyms

wide-ranging, broad-based, general, humanistic
3(Especially of an interpretation of a law) broadly construed or understood; not strictly literal: they could have given the 1968 Act a more liberal interpretation...
  • Dr Javaid Iqbal, in the end, approves of the Sufis' liberal interpretation of Islam, which helped poetry, music and dance to find a place in Muslim culture.
  • Many activists of the sharia movement in economic discourse and activities are also against a liberal interpretation of Islam.
  • It seemed a liberal interpretation of the term ‘cosmopolitan’ - but then that's rural living for you.

Synonyms

flexible, broad, loose, rough, non-restrictive, free, general, non-literal, non-specific, not literal, not strict, not close;
inexact, imprecise, vague, indefinite, ill-defined, unrigorous, unmeticulous
4Given, used, or occurring in generous amounts: liberal amounts of wine had been consumed...
  • Garden ponds won't count, though, so if you have a swimming pool, fill it with water lilies and goldfish, take down the diving board and apply liberal amounts of weed and reeds until he has gone.
  • Then you want a nice mayo, white vinegar, relish base, with liberal amounts of pepper, some salt and paprika.
  • There was also a liberal amount of calamari, but mostly just legs that weren't that appealing to chase around with a fork.

Synonyms

abundant, copious, ample, plentiful, generous, lavish, luxuriant, profuse, considerable, prolific, rich;
galore;
excessive, immoderate, superabundant, overabundant
informal over the top
literary plenteous
4.1(Of a person) giving generously: Sam was too liberal with the wine...
  • Their son was particularly concerned that we bless the space under his bed, so I was liberal with the holy water for his sake.
  • He was even liberal in dishing out helpings for Natalia.
  • He was very liberal when it came to buying drinks, and in return I was a friend to him.

Synonyms

generous, magnanimous, open-handed, unsparing, unstinting, ungrudging, lavish, free, munificent, bountiful, beneficent, benevolent, big-hearted, kind-hearted, kind, philanthropic, charitable, altruistic, unselfish;
extravagant, overgenerous, generous to a fault, immoderate, wasteful, overabundant, profligate, prodigal, thriftless, improvident, intemperate, unrestrained, wild
informal over the top
literary bounteous
noun
1A person of liberal views: a concern among liberals about the relation of the citizen to the state...
  • Many economic liberals have an optimistic view of economic globalization.
  • Leftists and liberals find this turn of events an indication of bad days to come.
  • How could he be defended in the pages of our press by supposed liberals and left-wingers?
1.1 (Liberal) A supporter or member of a Liberal Party, especially (in the UK) a Liberal Democrat.To essentially claim that he is no better than the Liberals or Tories is plain sectarianism....
  • The Tories and Liberals were easily beaten into third and fourth places.
  • The Liberals said they were opposed to the war but supported it once it began.

Derivatives

liberalness

noun ...
  • The Finance and Expenditure Committee did not suggest any changes to the bill that significantly affected the balance between the restrictiveness and the liberalness of the regime.

Origin

Middle English: via Old French from Latin liberalis, from liber 'free (man)'. The original sense was 'suitable for a free man', hence 'suitable for a gentleman' (one not tied to a trade), surviving in liberal arts. Another early sense 'generous' (compare with sense 4 of the adjective) gave rise to an obsolete meaning 'free from restraint', leading to sense 1 of the adjective (late 18th century).

Rhymes

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更新时间:2024/12/23 22:42:11