liberal

adj.

1. 1. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
   2. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
   3. Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism.
   4. 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. 1. Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor.
   2. 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. 1. Archaic. Permissible or appropriate for a person of free birth; befitting a lady or gentleman.
   2. 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.]

liberally lib'er·al·ly adv.
liberalness lib'er·al·ness n.

SYNONYMS   liberal, bounteous, bountiful, freehanded, generous, handsome, munificent, openhanded. These adjectives mean willing or marked by a willingness to give unstintingly: a liberal backer of the arts; a bounteous feast; bountiful compliments; a freehanded host; a generous donation; a handsome offer; a munificent gift; fond and openhanded grandparents. See also synonyms at broad-minded.
ANTONYM  stingy

adjective

1. Not narrow or conservative in thought, expression, or conduct: broad, broad-minded, open-minded, progressive, tolerant. See attitude/good attitude/bad attitude/neutral attitude, wide/narrow.
2. Favoring civil liberties and social progress: liberalistic, progressive. See politics.
3. Characterized by bounteous giving: free, freehanded, generous, handsome, lavish, munificent, openhanded, unsparing, unstinting. See give/take/reciprocity.

noun

A person with liberal political opinions: liberalist, progressive. See politics.

adj

Definition: abundant, profuse
Antonyms: lacking, poor, wanting

adj

Definition: giving, generous
Antonyms: economical, greedy, mean, strict, thrifty, ungenerous

adj

Definition: progressive
Antonyms: conservative, narrow, narrow-minded

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A descriptive term for persons, policies, and beliefs associated with liberalism.

IN BRIEF: Giving freely. Also: Open to new ideas.

The mind of the scholar, if he would leave it large and liberal, should come in contact with other minds. — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

Quotes:

"The essence of the Liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment." - Bertrand Russell

"I am also very proud to be a liberal. Why is that so terrible these days? The liberals were liberators -- they fought slavery, fought for women to have the right to vote, fought against Hitler, Stalin, fought to end segregation, fought to end apartheid. Liberals put an end to child labor and they gave us the five day work week! What's to be ashamed of?" - Barbara Streisand

"I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means -- except by getting off his back." - Count Leo Tolstoy

"We who are liberal and progressive know that the poor are our equals in every sense except that of being equal to us." - Lionel Trilling

"A liberal is a socialist with a wife and two children." - Source Unknown

"The liberal holds that he is true to the republic when he is true to himself. (It may not be as cozy an attitude as it sounds.) He greets with enthusiasm the fact of the journey, as a dog greets a man's invitation to take a walk. And he acts in the dog's way too, swinging wide, racing ahead, doubling back, covering many miles of territory that the man never traverses, all in the spirit of inquiry and the zest for truth. He leaves a crazy trail, but he ranges far beyond the genteel old party he walks with and he is usually in a better position to discover a skunk." - Elwyn Brooks White

See more famous quotes about Liberals

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - gavmild, rundhåndet, large, flot, rigelig, frisindet, fordomsfri
n. - liberal

idioms:

• liberal arts    de frie kunster
• liberal democrat    liberaldemokrat
• Liberal Democratic Party    liberaldemokratisk parti
• Liberal Party    de liberale

Nederlands (Dutch)
liberaal, onbekrompen, niet bevooroordeeld, gul, overvloedig, mild, verruimend (niet vakgericht), vrijzinnig, voorstander van vrijheid van individu/handel etc., lid/-aanhanger van Liberale Partij, tolerant/ ruimdenkend persoon

Français (French)
adj. - (gén) libéral, (Pol, Relig) libéral, bien intentionné (péj), libéral (une attitude), généreux, prodigue (une personne), libre (une traduction, une interprétation)
n. - (gén, Pol) libéral, gauchisant

idioms:

• liberal arts    (Univ) arts et sciences humaines, (Hist) arts libéraux
• liberal democrat    (GB, Pol) libéral démocrate
• Liberal Democratic Party    Parti Libéral Démocrate
• Liberal Party    (GB, Pol, Hist) parti libéral

Deutsch (German)
n. - Liberaler
adj. - großzügig, freigebig, reichlich, liberal, frei, aufgeschlossen, allgemeinbildend

idioms:

• liberal arts    Geisteswissenschaften
• liberal democrat    Liberal-Demokrat
• Liberal Democratic Party    Liberal Demokratische Partei
• Liberal Party    Liberal-Partei

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - φιλελεύθερος, του κόμματος των Φιλελευθέρων
adj. - φιλελεύθερος, γενναιόδωρος, "χουβαρντάς", άφθονος, αφειδής, απλόχερος, ανεκτικός, απροκατάληπτος

idioms:

• liberal arts    ελευθέριες τέχνες
• liberal democrat    φιλελεύθερος δημοκράτης
• Liberal Democratic Party    Φιλελεύθερο Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα
• Liberal Party    Φιλελεύθερο Κόμμα

Italiano (Italian)
liberale

idioms:

• liberal arts    arti liberali
• liberal democrat    democratico liberale
• Liberal Democratic Party    partito democratico liberale
• Liberal Party    partito liberale

Português (Portuguese)
n. - liberal
adj. - liberal, independente, generoso

idioms:

• liberal arts    humanidades
• liberal democrat    democrata liberal
• Liberal Democratic Party    Partido Democrata Liberal
• Liberal Party    Partido Liberal

Русский (Russian)
либерал, либеральный, прогрессивный, щедрый, гуманитарный

idioms:

• liberal arts    гуманитарные науки
• liberal democrat    либерал-демократ
• Liberal Democratic Party    либерально-де- мократическая партия
• Liberal Party    либеральная партия

Español (Spanish)
adj. - liberal, tolerante, generoso, abundante
n. - liberal

idioms:

• liberal arts    artes liberales, las humanidades
• liberal democrat    demócrata liberal
• Liberal Democratic Party    Partido Demócrata Liberal
• Liberal Party    Partido Liberal

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - liberal
adj. - frikostig, generös, givmild, rundhänt, liberal, riklig, fördomsfri, frisinnad, vidsynt

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
慷慨的, 宽大的, 不拘泥的, 自由主义者

idioms:

• liberal arts    文科
• liberal democrat    日本的自民党人
• Liberal Democratic Party    自由民主党
• Liberal Party    自由党

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 慷慨的, 寬大的, 不拘泥的
n. - 自由主義者

idioms:

• liberal arts    文科
• liberal democrat    日本的自民黨人
• Liberal Democratic Party    自由民主黨
• Liberal Party    自由黨

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 자유주의의, 관대한, 대범한, 편견이 없는, 풍부한
n. - 자유주의자, 자유당원

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 自由主義者, 自由党員
adj. - 自由主義の, 自由党の, 寛大な, 豊富な, 気前のいい, 自由な

idioms:

• liberal arts    自由科
• liberal democrat    自由民主党
• Liberal Democratic Party    自由民主党
• Liberal Party    自由党, 自由主義政党

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) المتسامح, المتحرر, المتساهل في التزام السنن والأشكال التقليديه, العضو في حزب الأحرار, التحرري المنادي بالتحرريه وخاصه بحقوق الفرد (صفه) عقلي موجه نحو حاجات العقل لا نحو الحاجات المهنيه أو التقنيه, كريم, سخي, وافر, كبير, ضخم, غير حرفي نص عربي مترجم بتصرف مثلا, متسامح, متحرر غير متعصب, تحرري مؤيد للنظم الديموقراطيه والإصطلاحات الإجتماعيه, ليبرالي مؤيد لمذهب الليبراليه الإقتصاديه أو مبني عليه, آدم سميث وشعاره دعه يعمل دعه يمر في كتابه ثروة الأمم, أحراري متعلق بحزب الأحرار البريطاني, المنادي بالحريه الفرديه وخاصه الإقتصاديه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮ליברלי, חופשי, שופע, מתקדם, נדיב, לא מילולי (פירוש), בעל אופקים רחבים, ללא דיעות קדומות, תומך במפלגה ליברלית, תומך בחירות פוליטית וכלכלית‬
n. - ‮ליברל, תומך בחירות פוליטית וכלכלית‬

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