liberal

adjective

1. 1

   Generous; permitting liberty; willing to give unsparingly.

   He was liberal with his compliments.

   Indeed, the Government has been very liberal in the expenditure of public money

   When he shows improvement she is liberal with her praise and then moves on to the next set of skills to be learnt.

   Queen Isabella was already being called Santa Isabella by many of her subjects because she was liberal with her alms.

2. 2

   Ample, abundant; generous in quantity.

   Add a liberal sprinkling of salt.

   For this reason a liberal amount of piping should be used. If a liberal supply of piping is provided at first, the first cost will of course be greater, but the extra expenditure is called for but once.

   The result was usually that such helpers got a liberal sprinkling of mud over their clothing.

   Rose put a steaming cup of mint tea in front of me and spooned a liberal helping of honey into it.

3. 3

   Widely open to new ideas, willing to depart from established opinions or conventions; permissive.

   Her parents had liberal ideas about child-rearing.

4. 4

   obsoleteUnrestrained, licentious.

   Myself, my brother, and this grieved count, Did see her, hear her, at that hour last night, Talk with a ruffian at her chamber-window; Who hath indeed, most like a liberal villain, Confess'd the vile encounters they have had A thousand times in secret.

5. 5

   Pertaining to a type of education the purpose of which is personal development rather than functional learning. Pertaining to a type of education the purpose of which is to cultivate and develop wise, capable and well-rounded people who are thus free of mental constraint and hindrance.

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   Americans remain enamored with Europe's ability to produce the consequential thought for America. It was the same in nearly every liberal field. Education sought its roots in such Europeans as Froebel, Frobenius, and Rousseau. Political science tried to connect to Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Nietzsche, Machiavelli, and Otto von Bismarck, for instance. Economics copied the thought of Adam Smith, […]

6. 6

   Pertaining to a type of education the purpose of which is personal development rather than functional learning. Pertaining to those arts and sciences the study of which is considered to provide general knowledge, as opposed to vocational/occupational, technical or mechanical training; usually found in the phrase "liberal arts".

   He had a full education studying the liberal arts.

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7. 7

   Open to political or social changes and reforms associated with either classical liberalism or "modern liberalism"/progressivism.

noun

1. 1

   One with liberal views, supporting individual liberty (see Wikipedia's article on Liberalism).

2. 2

   Someone with progressive or left-wing views, especially on social and environmental issues.

   And I love Puerto Ricans and Negros As long as they don't move next door. So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal.

3. 3

   A supporter of any of several liberal parties.

4. 4

   One who favors individual voting rights, human and civil rights, and laissez-faire markets (also called "classical liberal"; compare libertarian).

5. 5

   A conservative, especially a liberal conservative.

Forms

plural

liberals

comparative

more liberal

superlative

most liberal