liberal in English dictionary

  • liberal

    Meanings and definitions of "liberal"

    • (now rare except in phrases) Pertaining to those arts and sciences whose study was considered "worthy of a free man" (as opposed to servile, mechanical); worthy, befitting a gentleman.
    • Generous, bountiful.
    • Generous in quantity, abundant.
    • (obsolete) Unrestrained, licentious.
    • Free from prejudice or narrow-mindedness; open-minded, open to new ideas, willing to depart from established opinions, conventions etc.; permissive.
    • (politics) Open to political or social changes and reforms in favour of increased freedom or democracy.
    • One with liberal views, supporting individual liberty (see Wikipedia on Liberalism for a description of the various and diverging trends of liberalism).
    • A supporter of any of the particular liberal parties.
    • (US) One on the left-wing of the American political spectrum. Sometimes used pejoratively in political campaigns.
    • (US, Also 'classical liberal', akin to libertarian) A person who favors individual voting rights, human and civil rights, individual gun rights, laissez-faire markets, and the gold standard.
    • adjective
      (now rare outside of set phrases)
      Pertaining to those arts and sciences the study of which was considered "worthy of a free man" (as opposed to servile, vocational, mechanical); worthy, befitting a gentleman.
    • adjective
      Generous; willing to give unsparingly.
    • adjective
      Ample, abundant; generous in quantity.
    • adjective
      (obsolete)
      Unrestrained, licentious.
    • adjective
      Widely open to new ideas, willing to depart from established opinions or conventions; permissive.
    • adjective
      (politics)
      Open to political or social changes and reforms associated with either classical or modern liberalism.
    • noun
      One with liberal views, supporting individual liberty (see Wikipedia's article on Liberalism).
    • noun
      (US)
      Someone left-wing; one with a left-wing ideology.
    • noun
      A supporter of any of several liberal parties.
    • noun
      (Britain)
      One who favors individual voting rights, human and civil rights, and laissez-faire markets ( also called "classical liberal"; compare libertarian).
    • generous in quantity
    • political description, following liberalism, sometimes used without regard to true meaning, as a pejorative
    • open-minded, favoring social freedom; permissive
    • politically liberal
    • One with liberal views, supporting individual liberty
    • supporter of any of the particular liberal parties
    • person who favors individual voting rights, human and civil rights, individual gun-rights, laissez-faire markets, and the gold standard
    • Favoring social freedom; permissive.
    • Generous in quantity.
    • adjective
      given or giving freely; "was a big tipper"; "the bounteous goodness of God"; "bountiful compliments"; "a freehanded host"; "a handsome allowance"; "Saturday's child is loving and giving"; "a liberal backer of the arts"; "a munificent gift"; "her fond and openhanded grandfather"
    • adjective
      having political or social views favoring reform and progress
    • adjective
      not literal; "a loose interpretation of what she had been told"; "a free translation of the poem"
    • adjective
      showing or characterized by broad-mindedness; "a broad political stance"; "generous and broad sympathies"; "a liberal newspaper"; "tolerant of his opponent's opinions"
    • adjective
      tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition
    • noun
      a person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets
    • noun
      a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties

    Synonyms of "liberal" in English dictionary

    socialized, bountiful, progressive are the top synonyms of "liberal" in the English thesaurus.

    Antonyms of "liberal" in English dictionary

    conservative is the antonym of "liberal" in the English thesaurus.

    Grammar and declension of liberal

    • liberal ( plural  liberals)
    • liberal ( comparative more liberal, superlative most liberal)
    • liberal (comparative more liberal, superlative most liberal)
    • liberal (plural liberals)
  • Liberal

    Meanings and definitions of "liberal"

    • (UK) A Liberal Democrat.
    • (UK, dated) A Whig
    • Of or relating to the Liberal party, its membership, or its platform, policy, or viewpoint.
    • Generous, in great amount, a large proportion
    • (politics) A member or supporter of a Liberal Party
    • (Canada) A member or supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada, or its predecessors, or provincial equivalents, or their predecessors
    • adjective
      Of or relating to the Liberal party, its membership, or its platform, policy, or viewpoint.
    • noun
      (politics)
      A member or supporter of a Liberal Party
    • noun
      (Canada)
      A member or supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada, or its predecessors, or provincial equivalents, or their predecessors
    • noun
      (Britain)
      A Liberal Democrat.
    • noun
      (Britain, dated)
      A Whig.

    Grammar and declension of liberal

    • Liberal ( plural  Liberals)
    • Liberal ( not comparable)
    • Liberal (not comparable)
    • Liberal (plural Liberals)

Sample sentences with "liberal"