Liberal — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈli-b(ə-)rəl/ lib·er·al

Meaning & Definition of Liberal

Liberal (adjective)

  1. inclined to be open to ideas and ways of behaving that are not conventional or traditional, broad-minded, tolerant
  2. of, relating to, or favoring a philosophy of liberalism, especially political liberalism and often also social liberalism
  3. of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism

Liberal (noun)

  1. a person who is liberal
  2. an adherent or advocate of liberalism and especially political liberalism
  3. a member or supporter of a Liberal political party

Liberal (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not bound by traditional ways or beliefs

    "parents who take a very liberal attitude toward letting their children stay out late"

    similar: broad-minded, nonconventional, nonorthodox, nontraditional, open-minded, progressive, radical, unconventional, unorthodox
    related: advanced, contemporary, modern, forbearing, indulgent, large-minded, lenient, permissive, tolerant, extreme, impartial, objective, unbiased
    opposite: conservative, conventional, hidebound, nonprogressive, old-fashioned, orthodox, stodgy, traditional
    near: hard, rigid, strict, doctrinal, dogmatic, bigoted, blinkered, intolerant, narrow-minded, reactionary, unreconstructed

  2. being more than enough without being excessive

    "he always puts liberal amounts of grated cheese on his pizza"

    similar: abundant, ample, aplenty, bounteous, bountiful, comfortable, cornucopian, galore, generous, plenteous, plentiful, plenty, all kinds of, thick on the ground
    related: extra, supernumerary, surplus, abounding, blooming, overflowing, plump, replete, rich, rife, teeming, wealthy, adequate, enough, sufficient, fat, fecund, fertile, fruitful, luxuriant, prodigal, prolific, copious, fulsome, lavish, profuse
    opposite: bare, minimal, scant, spare
    near: deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting, meager, stingy, skimpy, least, minimum, light, slight, small, barren, infertile, sterile, unfruitful, unproductive

  3. giving or sharing in abundance and without hesitation

    "a doctor who has been very liberal in dispensing low-cost care to patients who could not otherwise afford it"

    similar: bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, charitable, free, freehanded, freehearted, fulsome, generous, munificent, open, openhanded, unselfish, unsparing, unstinting
    related: extravagant, handsome, lavish, overgenerous, profuse, altruistic, beneficent, benevolent, hospitable, humanitarian, philanthropic, big, greathearted, largehearted, magnanimous, openhearted, compassionate, good-hearted, kind, kindly, samaritan, sympathetic
    opposite: cheap, close, closefisted, costive, illiberal (archaic), mingy, miserly, parsimonious, penurious, selfish, stingy, stinting, tight, tightfisted, uncharitable, ungenerous
    near: mean, petty, small, frugal, spare, sparing, thrifty, chary, stinting, acquisitive, avaricious, avid, coveting, covetous, desirous, grasping, hoggish, itchy, mercenary, rapacious, begrudging, envious, grudging, resentful

Liberal (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in progressive, leftist

    similar: leftist, lefty, progressive, neophiliac, extremist, radical, reformer, reformist, revolutionary, revolutionist, modern, modernist, ultramodernist, bohemian
    opposite: antediluvian, dodo, fogy, fossil, fuddy-duddy, reactionary, stick-in-the-mud, conservative, rightist, right-winger, standpatter, Tory, old hand, old-timer, veteran, conformist, traditionalist, archconservative, Bourbon, diehard, neocon, neoconservative, paleoconservative, Colonel Blimp, square, stuffed shirt

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Liberal

The most common words with a similar meaning to Liberal:

broad-minded, nonconventional, nonorthodox, nontraditional, open-minded, progressive, radical, unconventional, unorthodox, abundant, ample, aplenty, bounteous, bountiful, comfortable, cornucopian, galore, generous, plenteous, plentiful, plenty, bighearted, charitable, free, freehanded, freehearted, fulsome, munificent, open, openhanded, unselfish, unsparing, unstinting, all kinds of, thick on the ground, leftist, lefty, neophiliac, extremist, reformer

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Liberal

Words with the opposite meaning of Liberal:

conservative, conventional, hidebound, nonprogressive, old-fashioned, orthodox, stodgy, traditional, bare, minimal, scant, spare, cheap, close, closefisted, costive, illiberal, mingy, miserly, parsimonious, penurious, selfish, stingy, stinting, tight, tightfisted, uncharitable, ungenerous, antediluvian, dodo

Related Words for Liberal

advanced, contemporary, forbearing, indulgent, large-minded, lenient, permissive, tolerant, extreme, impartial, objective, unbiased, extra, supernumerary, surplus, abounding, blooming, overflowing, plump, replete, rich, rife, teeming, wealthy, adequate, enough, sufficient, fat, fecund, fertile

Near Antonyms of Liberal

hard, rigid, strict, doctrinal, dogmatic, bigoted, blinkered, intolerant, narrow-minded, unreconstructed, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting, meager, skimpy, least, minimum, light, slight, small, barren, infertile, sterile, unfruitful, unproductive, mean, petty, frugal

Word Forms of Liberal

Inflections: liberals

Derived words: liberally (adverb), liberalness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Liberal

Middle English liberal, leberall "nobly born, magnanimous, generous," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French liberal, borrowed from Latin līberālis "of a free man, worthy of a free man (as education, studies, appearance), magnanimous, generous, provided on a generous scale," from līber "possessing the status of a free man (as opposed to a slave), free, unrestrained" + -ālis -al:1; līber going back (via *leiber < *loi̯fero- < *lou̯fero- < *leu̯fero-) to Indo-European *h1leu̯dh-ero- (whence also Greek eleútheros "free"), derivative, with the adjective suffix -ero-, from a base *h1leu̯dh- seen also in Germanic *leuda- (whence Old English lēod "man, person [of a tribe, region]," Old Icelandic ljóðr "people") and in Germanic-Baltic-Slavic *leu̯di-, whence Old Frisian liūd "crowd," Old Saxon liud "people, nation," Old High German liut "people," Lithuanian liáudis "common people," Latvian ļaudis, Old Church Slavic ljudije "people, laity," Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian ljûdi "people," Russian ljúdi

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Liberal

Words & Phrases Containing Liberal

liberal arts, Liberal Democrat, anti-liberal, limousine liberal, classical liberalism, social liberalism

Frequently Asked Questions about Liberal

What does "Liberal" mean?

"Liberal" means inclined to be open to ideas and ways of behaving that are not conventional or traditional, broad-minded, tolerant. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: inclined to be open to ideas and ways of behaving that are not conventional or traditional, broad-minded, tolerant. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Liberal"?

Other words for "Liberal" include broad-minded, nonconventional, nonorthodox, nontraditional, open-minded, progressive, radical and unconventional. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Liberal" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Liberal"?

There are 104 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Liberal". Common alternatives include broad-minded, nonconventional, nonorthodox, nontraditional, open-minded, progressive, radical, unconventional, unorthodox and abundant.

What is the opposite of "Liberal"?

Antonyms of "Liberal" include conservative, conventional, hidebound, nonprogressive, old-fashioned, orthodox, stodgy and traditional. Near antonyms include hard, rigid, strict and doctrinal.

How do you use "Liberal" in a sentence?

Examples of "Liberal" in a sentence: "parents who take a very liberal attitude toward letting their children stay out late"; "he always puts liberal amounts of grated cheese on his pizza"; "a doctor who has been very liberal in dispensing low-cost care to patients who could not otherwise afford it".

Is "Liberal" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Liberal" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Liberal" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Liberal" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Liberal"?

"Liberal" is pronounced /ˈli-b(ə-)rəl/ and divided into syllables as lib·er·al.