liberal

lib·er·al

 (lĭb′ər-əl, lĭb′rəl)

adj.

1.

a. Favoring reform, open to new ideas, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; not bound by traditional thinking; broad-minded. See Synonyms at broad-minded.

b. Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism.

c. Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.

2.

a. Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor.

b. Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes.

3. Not strict or literal; loose or approximate: a liberal translation.

4. Of, relating to, or based on the traditional arts and sciences of a college or university curriculum: a liberal education.

5.

a. Archaic Permissible or appropriate for a person of free birth; befitting a lady or gentleman.

b. Obsolete Morally unrestrained; licentious.

n.

1. A person with liberal ideas or opinions.

2. Liberal A member of a Liberal political party.

---

[Middle English, generous, from Old French, from Latin līberālis, from līber, free; see leudh- in Indo-European roots.]

---

lib′er·al·ly adv.

lib′er·al·ness n.

Synonyms: liberal, freehanded, generous, munificent, openhanded
These adjectives mean willing or marked by a willingness to give unstintingly: a liberal backer of the arts; a freehanded host; a generous donation; a munificent gift; fond and openhanded grandparents.

Antonym: stingy

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

liberal

(ˈlɪbərəl; ˈlɪbrəl)

adj

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) relating to or having social and political views that favour progress and reform

2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) 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. (Education) of or relating to an education that aims to develop general cultural interests and intellectual ability

n

(Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a person who has liberal ideas or opinions

[C14: from Latin līberālis of freedom, from līber free]

ˈliberally adv

ˈliberalness n

---

Liberal

(ˈlɪbərəl; ˈlɪbrəl)

n

(Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a member or supporter of a Liberal party or Liberal Democrat party

adj

(Government, Politics & Diplomacy) of or relating to a Liberal party or Liberal Democrat party

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lib•er•al

(ˈlɪb ər əl, ˈlɪb rəl)

adj.

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

2. (often cap.) designating or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.

3. pertaining to, based on, or having views or policies advocating individual freedom of action and expression.

4. of or pertaining to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.

5. free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant.

6. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.; open-minded.

7. characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts.

8. given freely or abundantly; generous.

9. not strict or rigorous; free; not literal: a liberal interpretation of a rule.

10. of, pertaining to, or based on the liberal arts: a liberal education.

n.

11. a person of liberal principles or views.

12. (often cap.) a member of a liberal political party, esp. the Liberal Party in Great Britain.

[1325–75; Middle English < Latin līberālis of free men, generous =līber free + -ālis -al¹]

lib′er•al•ly, adv.

lib′er•al•ness, n.

syn: See generous.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	liberal - a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties liberalist, progressive adult, grownup - a fully developed person from maturity onward armchair liberal - a person of liberal ideals who takes no action to realize them latitudinarian - a person who is broad-minded and tolerant (especially in standards of religious belief and conduct) neoliberal - a liberal who subscribes to neoliberalism pluralist - someone who believes that distinct ethnic or cultural or religious groups can exist together in society Whig - a member of the political party that urged social reform in 18th and 19th century England; was the opposition party to the Tories conservative, conservativist - a person who is reluctant to accept changes and new ideas
	2.	liberal - a person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets adult, grownup - a fully developed person from maturity onward
Adj.	1.	liberal - showing or characterized by broad-mindedness; "a broad political stance"; "generous and broad sympathies"; "a liberal newspaper"; "tolerant of his opponent's opinions" large-minded, tolerant, broad broad-minded - inclined to respect views and beliefs that differ from your own; "a judge who is broad-minded but even-handed"
	2.	liberal - having political or social views favoring reform and progress left - of or belonging to the political or intellectual left
	3.	liberal - tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition left - of or belonging to the political or intellectual left conservative - resistant to change
	4.	liberal - 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" bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, giving, openhanded, handsome, freehanded, big generous - willing to give and share unstintingly; "a generous donation"
	5.	liberal - not literal; "a loose interpretation of what she had been told"; "a free translation of the poem" loose, free inexact - not exact

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

liberal

adjective

1. tolerant, enlightened, open-minded, permissive, advanced, catholic, humanitarian, right-on (informal), indulgent, easy-going, unbiased, high-minded, broad-minded, unprejudiced, unbigoted, politically correct or PC She is known to have liberal views on abortion and contraception.
tolerant intolerant, prejudiced, biased, bigoted

2. progressive, radical, reformist, libertarian, advanced, right-on (informal), forward-looking, humanistic, free-thinking, latitudinarian, politically correct or PC a liberal democracy with a multiparty political system
progressive conservative, right-wing, reactionary

3. abundant, generous, handsome, lavish, ample, rich, plentiful, copious, bountiful, profuse, munificent She made liberal use of her older sister's make-up and clothes.
abundant small, limited, inadequate

4. generous, kind, charitable, extravagant, free-handed, prodigal, altruistic, open-hearted, bountiful, magnanimous, open-handed, unstinting, beneficent, bounteous They thanked him for his liberal generosity.
generous mean, stingy, cheap

5. flexible, general, broad, rough, free, loose, lenient, not close, inexact, not strict, not literal a liberal translation
flexible fixed, strict, literal, inflexible

Quotations
"conservative: a statesman who is enamoured of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others" [Ambrose Bierce The Devil's Dictionary]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

liberal

adjective

1. Not narrow or conservative in thought, expression, or conduct:

broad, broad-minded, open-minded, progressive, tolerant.

2. Favoring civil liberties and social progress:

liberalistic, progressive.

3. Characterized by bounteous giving:

free, freehanded, generous, handsome, lavish, munificent, openhanded, unsparing, unstinting.

noun

A person with liberal political opinions:

liberalist, progressive.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

عُضْو في حِزب الأحْراركَريم، سَخيمُتَحَرِرٌمُتَساهِل، مُتَسامِح

liberálníštědrýliberál

liberalrundhåndetfrisindetgenerøs

liberal

φιλελεύθερος

liberalabundantegeneroso

vapaamielinen

libéraltolérantgénéreux

liberalan

liberális

örlátur, ríkulegurumburîarlyndur

liberalegeneroso

リベラルな

자유주의의

liberalasliberalustolerantiškaitolerantiškumas

augstsirdīgsbez aizspriedumiembrīvi domājošsdevīgsliberāls

kwistigliberaal

liberal

liberalny

liberal

либераллиберальный

liberálliberálny

liberal

liberal

เกี่ยวกับลัทธิเสรีนิยม

açık görüşlüanlayışlıcömerteli açıkhoşgörülü

tự do

自由主义的大方的宽宏大度的开放的开明的

liberal

[ˈlɪbərəl]

A. ADJ

1. (= tolerant) [person, view, education, regime] → liberal

2. (= generous) [quantity, amount] → abundante, generoso; [portion] → generoso
to be liberal with sth → ser generoso con algo
he is very liberal with his money → es muy generoso con el dinero
she was rather liberal with the mayonnaise → puso mucha mayonesa
he is not liberal with his praise → no es muy pródigo con los elogios

3. (Brit) (Pol) (= of the Liberal Party) Liberal [MP] → del partido liberal; [government, policy] → liberal

4. (= free) [interpretation, translation] → libre

B. N

1. (= broad-minded person) → liberal mf

2. (Brit) (Pol) Liberal → liberal mf

C. CPD the liberal arts NPL (esp US) (Univ) → las humanidades, las artes liberales
Liberal Democrat N (Brit) (Pol) → demócrata mf liberal
the Liberal Democratic Party N (Brit) → el Partido Democrático Liberal
the Liberal Party N (Brit) → el Partido Liberal
liberal studies NPL (esp Brit) asignatura de letras complementaria para aquellos que estudian ciencias

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Liberal

[ˈlɪb^ərəl]

n → libéral(e) m/f

adj → libéral(e)

adv
to vote Liberal → voter libéral

---

liberal

[ˈlɪb^ərəl]

adj

(= tolerant) [person] → tolérant(e); [attitude] → libéral(e); [régime, society] → libéral(e); [education] → libéral(e)

(= generous) liberal amounts of sth → de généreuses quantités de qch
to be liberal with sth → être prodigue de qch
to make liberal use of sth → faire un usage généreux de qch

n → libéral(e)liberal arts (US)

npl → arts mpl libéraux

modif [college] → d'arts libéraux; [course, degree] → en arts libérauxLiberal Democrat n → libéral(e)-démocrate m/f
the Liberal Democrats → les libéraux-démocrates

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

liberal

adj

(= generous) offer, supply → großzügig; helping of food → reichlich; to be liberal with one’s praise/comments → mit Lob/seinen Kommentaren freigebig sein; to be liberal with one’s money → mit seinem Geld großzügig umgehen

(= broad-minded) → liberal

(Pol) → liberal; the Liberal Party (Brit Hist, in Canada) → die Liberale Partei

n

(Pol) → Liberale(r) mf

(= liberal-minded person) → Liberalgesinnte(r) mf; he’s a liberal in social matters → er hat eine liberale Einstellung in sozialen Angelegenheiten

---

liberal

:

liberal arts

pl the liberal (esp US) → die geisteswissenschaftlichen Fächer

liberal democracy

n (Pol) → freiheitliche Demokratie

Liberal Democrat (Brit Pol)

n → Liberaldemokrat(in) m(f)

adj → liberaldemokratisch; gain, loss, policy → der Liberaldemokraten; the liberal Party → die liberaldemokratische Partei

liberal education

n → Allgemeinbildung f

---

liberal

:

liberal-minded

adj person → liberal (eingestellt); views, country → liberal

liberal-mindedness

n (of person) → liberale Einstellung or Gesinnung; (of views) → Liberalität f

liberal studies

pl (esp US) → Geisteswissenschaften pl

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Liberal

[ˈlɪb/ər/əl] n (Pol) → liberale m/f

---

liberal

[ˈlɪb/ər/əl] adj (generous) → liberale, generoso/a; (views) → liberale
to be liberal with → essere prodigo/a di

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

liberal

(ˈlibərəl) adjective

1. generous. She gave me a liberal helping of apple pie; She was very liberal with her money. gul كَريم، سَخي щедър liberal štědrý freigebeig generøs; rundhåndet γενναιόδωροςgeneroso helde سخاوتمند antelias généreuxנדיב दान-शील velikodušan, darežljiv, rasipan nagylelkű pemurah örlátur, ríkulegur generoso 気前のよい 후한 dosnus devīgs; augstsirdīgs murah hati royaalraus, rundhåndet, rikelighojny, szczodry سخى،د ډيرى مهربانى خاوند liberal generos щедрый štedrý velikodušen darežljiv frikostig, generös ใจดี cömert, eli açık 慷慨的 щедрий, рясний فیاضانہ hào phóng 慷慨的，大方的

2. tolerant; not criticizing or disapproving. The headmaster is very liberal in his attitude to young people. verlig مُتَساهِل، مُتَسامِح толерантен tolerante liberální liberal tolerant; frisindet ανεκτικόςliberal, tolerante vabameelne دارای سعه نظر suvaitsevainen tolérantסובלני उदार, सहिष्णु tolerantan megértő toleran umburðarlyndur tollerante 寛大な 관대한 tolerantiškas, negriežtas liberāls; brīvi domājošs; bez aizspriedumiem bersikap terbuka ruimdenkendfrisinnet, tolerant, liberaltolerancyjny حوصله مند،ښه خوى لرونكى tolerante tolerant терпимый liberálny razumevajoč liberalan liberal ที่มีความอดทน hoşgörülü, anlayışlı 寬容的，開明的 великодушний; ліберальний کشادہ دل không hẹp hòi 宽宏大度的，开明的

3. (also noun) (especially with capital) in politics, (a person belonging to a party) favouring liberty for the individual. liberaal عُضْو في حِزب الأحْرار либерален liberal liberál liberal liberal φιλελεύθεροςliberal liberaal آزادیخواه liberaali libéral לִיבֶּרָל दानशील, लोकतंत्रीय सुधारों के पक्ष में liberalan, liberal liberális liberal frjálslyndur, sem tilheyrir frjálslyndum flokki liberale 自由党の 개인의 자유를 인정하는 liberalus; liberalas liberāls ahli Parti Liberal liberaalliberalliberalny آزادى غوښتونكى liberal liberal либеральный liberál liberalen liberal liberal ยอมรับความคิดเห็นของผู้อื่น liberal 自由主義的 ліберал لبرل پارٹی کا رکن یا حامی، انفرادی آزادی کا حامی thuộc về Đảng tự do 开放的，自由主义的

libeˈrality (-ˈrӕ-) noun

goedgeefsheid كَرَم، عَطِيَّه، تَحَرُّر، تسامُح щедрост liberalidade štědrost; liberálnost die Freisinnigkeit generøsitet; rundhåndethed; tolerance; frisindethed γενναιοδωρία, ελευθεροφροσύνη, ευρύτητα αντιλήψεων liberalidad, generosidad heldus, vabameelsus آزادیخواهی؛ روشنفکری avarakatseisuus libéralitéנדיבות, סובלנות उदारता वैचारिक liberalnost nagylelkűség; kötetlenség sifat pemurah örlæti; frjálslyndi liberalità 気前のよさ 관대함 dosnumas, tolerantiškumas devīgums; augstsirdība; brīvi uzskati; liberālums kemurahan hati vrijgevigheidgavmildhet; frisinn, liberalitet hojność, tolerancyjność د آزادى غوښتلتيا،روشنفكرى liberalidade generozitate щедрость; широта взглядов štedrosť; liberálnosť liberalnost liberalnost frikostighet, liberalitet ความมีใจกว้าง serbest fikirlilik, cömertlik 慷慨，寬容 терпимість; ліберальність سخاوت sự hào phóng 心胸宽大，慷慨，宽容

ˈliberally adverb

ruim بكَرَم، بِسَخاء щедро liberalmente štědře; liberálně liberal generøst; rundhåndet φιλελεύθερα liberalmente heldelt, vabameelselt آزادی خواهانه؛ با سخاوتمندی avarakatseisesti libéralement בִּנְדִיבוּת उदारतापूर्वक liberalno nagylelkűen, liberálisan banyak-banyak ríkulega liberalmente 気前よく 관대하게 dosniai, tolerantiškai devīgi; liberāli dengan murah hati royaalraust, rikelig hojnie, tolerancyjnie په آزادى غوښتونكى ډول liberalmente cu generozitate щедро; в огромном количестве štedro; liberálne liberalno liberalno frikostigt, liberalt มีใจกว้าง serbestce, cömertçe, bol bol 慷慨地，寬容地 терпимо; ліберально سخاوت سے một cách tùy nghi 慷慨地

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

liberal

→ مُتَحَرِرٌ liberální liberal liberal φιλελεύθερος liberal vapaamielinen libéral liberalan liberale リベラルな 자유주의의 liberaal liberal liberalny liberal либеральный liberal เกี่ยวกับลัทธิเสรีนิยม açık görüşlü tự do 自由主义的

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009