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Webster 1913 Edition

Liberal

Lib′er-al

(lĭb′ẽr-al)
,
Adj.
[F.
libéral
, L.
liberalis
, from
liber
free; perh. akin to
libet
,
lubet
, it pleases, E.
lief
. Cf.
Deliver
.]
1.
Free by birth; hence, befitting a freeman or gentleman; refined; noble; independent; free; not servile or mean;
as, a
liberal
ancestry; a
liberal
spirit;
liberal
arts or studies.
“ Liberal education.”
Macaulay.
“ A liberal tongue.”
Shak.
2.
Bestowing in a large and noble way, as a freeman; generous; bounteous; open-handed;
as, a
liberal
giver
.
“ Liberal of praise.”
Bacon.
Infinitely good, and of his good
As
liberal
and free as infinite.
Milton.
3.
Bestowed in a large way; hence, more than sufficient; abundant; bountiful; ample; profuse;
as, a
liberal
gift; a
liberal
discharge of matter or of water.
His wealth doth warrant a
liberal
dower.
Shakespeare
4.
Not strict or rigorous; not confined or restricted to the literal sense; free;
as, a
liberal
translation of a classic, or a
liberal
construction of law or of language
.
5.
Not narrow or contracted in mind; not selfish; enlarged in spirit; catholic.
6.
Free to excess; regardless of law or moral restraint; licentious.
“ Most like a liberal villain.”
Shak.
7.
Not bound by orthodox tenets or established forms in political or religious philosophy; independent in opinion; not conservative; friendly to great freedom in the constitution or administration of government; having tendency toward democratic or republican, as distinguished from monarchical or aristocratic, forms;
as,
liberal
thinkers;
liberal
Christians; the
Liberal
party.
I confess I see nothing
liberal
in this “ order of thoughts,” as Hobbes elsewhere expresses it.
Hazlitt.
☞ Liberal has of, sometimes with, before the thing bestowed, in before a word signifying action, and to before a person or object on which anything is bestowed; as, to be liberal of praise or censure; liberal with money; liberal in giving; liberal to the poor.
The liberal arts
.
See under
Art
.
–
Liberal education
,
education that enlarges and disciplines the mind and makes it master of its own powers, irrespective of the particular business or profession one may follow.
Syn. – Generous; bountiful; munificent; beneficent; ample; large; profuse; free.
–
Liberal
,
Generous
. Liberal is freeborn, and generous is highborn. The former is opposed to the ordinary feelings of a servile state, and implies largeness of spirit in giving, judging, acting, etc. The latter expresses that nobleness of soul which is peculiarly appropriate to those of high rank, – a spirit that goes out of self, and finds its enjoyment in consulting the feelings and happiness of others. Generosity is measured by the extent of the sacrifices it makes; liberality, by the warmth of feeling which it manifests.

Lib′er-al

,
Noun.
One who favors greater freedom in political or religious matters; an opponent of the established systems; a reformer; in English politics, a member of the Liberal party, so called. Cf.
Whig
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Liberal

LIB'ERAL

,
Adj.
[L. liberalis, from liber, free. See Libe.]
1.
Of a free heart; free to give or bestow; not close or contracted; munificent; bountiful; generous; giving largely; as a liberal donor; the liberal founders of a college or hospital. It expresses less than profuse or extravagant.
2.
Generous; ample; large; as a liberal donation; a liberal allowance.
3.
Not selfish, narrow on contracted; catholic; enlarged; embracing other interests than one's own; as liberal sentiments or views; a liberal mind; liberal policy.
4.
General; extensive; embracing literature and the sciences generally; as a liberal education. This phrase is often but not necessarily synonymous with collegiate; as a collegiate education.
5.
Free; open; candid; as a liberal communication of thoughts.
6.
Large; profuse; as a liberal discharge of matter by secretions or excretions.
7.
Free; not literal or strict; as a liberal construction of law.
8.
Not mean; not low in birth or mind.
9.
Licentious; free to excess.
Liberal arts, as distinguished from mechanical arts, are such as depend more on the exertion of the mind than on the labor of the hands, and regard amusement, curiosity or intellectual improvement, rather than the necessity of subsistence, or manual skill. Such are grammar, rhetoric, painting, sculpture, architecture, music. &c.
Liberal has of before the thing bestowed, and to before the person or object on which any thing is bestowed; as, to be liberal of praise or censure; liberal to the poor.

Definition 2024

Liberal

Liberal

See also: liberal and libéral

English

Noun

Liberal ‎(plural Liberals)

  1. (politics) A member or supporter of a Liberal Party
  2. (Canada) A member or supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada, or its predecessors, or provincial equivalents, or their predecessors
  3. (Britain) A Liberal Democrat.
  4. (Britain, dated) A Whig.

Related terms

See also

Translations

Adjective

Liberal ‎(not comparable)

  1. Of or relating to the Liberal party, its membership, or its platform, policy, or viewpoint.

Translations

Anagrams

liberal

liberal

See also: Liberal and libéral

English

Adjective

liberal ‎(comparative more liberal, superlative most liberal)

  1. (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.
    • 1983, David Leslie Wagner, The Seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages
    • 1997, Gordon D. Morgan, Toward an American Sociology: Questioning the European Construct (ISBN 0275949990), page 45:
      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, […]
    • 2008, Donal G. Mulcahy, The Educated Person: Toward a New Paradigm for Liberal Education (ISBN 0742561224)
    He had a full education studying the liberal arts.‎
  2. Generous; willing to give unsparingly.
    • 2005, John Gardner, Assessment and Learning (ISBN 141291051X), page 50:
      When he shows improvement she is liberal with her praise and then moves on to the next set of skills to be learnt.
    • 2007, Helena Page Schrader, The English Templar (ISBN 0595432719), page 309:
      Queen Isabella was already being called Santa Isabella by many of her subjects because she was liberal with her alms.
    • 2010, Simon Guillebaud, More Than Conquerors: A Call to Radical Discipleship (ISBN 1854249738), page 142:
      Was it because the believers were so liberal with their possessions that God was so liberal with his grace?
    • 2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:
      Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.
    He was liberal with his compliments.‎
  3. Ample, abundant; generous in quantity.
    • 1896, in Ice and refrigeration, volume 11, page 93:
      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.
    • 2009, R. Furman Kenney, Chesterville: The Village at the End of the Road (ISBN 1438960344), page 102:
      The result was usually that such helpers got a liberal sprinkling of mud over their clothing.
    • 2011, Marlene Perez, Dead Is Not an Option (ISBN 0547345933), page 37:
      Rose put a steaming cup of mint tea in front of me and spooned a liberal helping of honey into it.
    Add a liberal sprinkling of salt.‎
  4. (obsolete) Unrestrained, licentious.
    • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 4 Scene 1
      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. Widely open to new ideas, willing to depart from established opinions or conventions; permissive.
    Her parents had liberal ideas about child-rearing.‎
  6. (politics) Open to political or social changes and reforms associated with either classical or modern liberalism.
    Younger people tend to be more liberal than older people.

Antonyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

liberal ‎(plural liberals)

  1. One with liberal views, supporting individual liberty (see Wikipedia's article on Liberalism).
  2. (US) Someone left-wing; one with a left-wing ideology.
  3. A supporter of any of several liberal parties.
  4. (Britain) One who favors individual voting rights, human and civil rights, and laissez-faire markets (also called "classical liberal"; compare libertarian).

Coordinate terms

Translations

Anagrams

Catalan

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: li‧be‧ral

Adjective

liberal m, f ‎(masculine and feminine plural liberals)

  1. liberal

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌlibəˈʁaːl/, /ˌlɪ-/
  • Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

liberal ‎(comparative liberaler, superlative am liberalsten)

  1. liberal; permissive; allowing personal freedoms
    Seine Eltern waren streng katholische Kirchgänger, aber liberal gegenüber den Kindern.
    His parents were strict Catholic church-goers, but were liberal towards their children.
  2. (politics) liberal; libertarian (see usage notes below)
    Die FDP ist die wichtigste liberale Partei in Deutschland.
    The FDP is Germany’s most important liberal party.

Declension

Comparative forms of liberal
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist liberaler sie ist liberaler es ist liberaler sie sind liberaler
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative liberalerer liberalere liberaleres liberalere
genitive liberaleren liberalerer liberaleren liberalerer
dative liberalerem liberalerer liberalerem liberaleren
accusative liberaleren liberalere liberaleres liberalere
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der liberalere die liberalere das liberalere die liberaleren
genitive des liberaleren der liberaleren des liberaleren der liberaleren
dative dem liberaleren der liberaleren dem liberaleren den liberaleren
accusative den liberaleren die liberalere das liberalere die liberaleren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein liberalerer eine liberalere ein liberaleres (keine) liberaleren
genitive eines liberaleren einer liberaleren eines liberaleren (keiner) liberaleren
dative einem liberaleren einer liberaleren einem liberaleren (keinen) liberaleren
accusative einen liberaleren eine liberalere ein liberaleres (keine) liberaleren

Derived terms

Old French

Adjective

liberal m ‎(oblique and nominative feminine singular liberale)

  1. appropriate for a free person
  2. generous; giving

Descendants

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin liberalis ‎(“befitting a freeman”), from liber ‎(“free”).

Pronunciation

  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /li.βɨ.ˈɾaɫ/
  • Hyphenation: li‧be‧ral

Adjective

liberal m, f ‎(plural liberais, comparable)

  1. liberal, generous, tolerant

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From lȉberālan.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /liběraːl/
  • Hyphenation: li‧be‧ral

Noun

libèrāl m ‎(Cyrillic spelling либѐра̄л)

  1. liberal

Declension

References

  • “liberal” in Hrvatski jezični portal

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: li‧be‧ral

Adjective

liberal m, f ‎(plural liberales)

  1. liberal
  2. (politics, US) liberal

Noun

liberal m, f ‎(plural liberales)

  1. liberal
  2. (politics, US) liberal

Swedish

Pronunciation

Adjective

liberal (comparative liberalare, superlative liberalast)

  1. liberal

Declension

Inflection of liberal
Indefinite/attributive Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular liberal liberalare liberalast
Neuter singular liberalt liberalare liberalast
Plural liberala liberalare liberalast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 liberale liberalare liberalaste
All liberala liberalare liberalaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in an attributive role.

Noun

liberal c

  1. a liberal

Declension

Inflection of liberal 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative liberal liberalen liberaler liberalerna
Genitive liberals liberalens liberalers liberalernas

Etymology

The adjective is from Old French liberal, from Latin liberalis ‎(“befitting a freeman”), from liber ‎(“free”); it is attested since the 14th century. The noun is first attested in the 1800s.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: lĭ'brəl, IPA(key): /ˈlɪbɹəl/
  • (US) enPR: lĭ'bərəl, IPA(key): /ˈlɪbəɹəl/

Similar Results