liberal

1 of 2

adjective

lib·​er·​al ˈli-b(ə-)rəl 

1

a

: inclined to be open to ideas and ways of behaving that are not conventional or traditional : broad-minded, tolerant

My father is more liberal and loving than twenty fathers combined.

—Karan Mahajan

Europeans generally have more liberal attitudes toward sex than Americans.

—Scott Stossel

b

: of, relating to, or favoring a philosophy of liberalism (see liberalism sense 1), especially political liberalism (see liberalism sense 2a) and often also social liberalism

a liberal newspaper columnist

a liberal Democrat in a family of conservative Republicans

pushing for liberal reforms

The discussion on the bench did not break down along the usual ideological lines, but the court's three liberal justices voiced the strongest concerns about ensuring citizens have access to public officials and critical community information online.

—Ann E. Marimow

In liberal states, policymakers are forging ahead with legislation to protect reproductive data online.

—Cat Zakrzewski

Conversely, courts in California have often been viewed as a receptive field of battle for liberal organizations … on matters including immigration, the environment, and voting rights.

—Abbie VanSickle

Divisions have erupted, along conservative and liberal lines, over how race, history and gender are taught, and how LGBTQ students and issues are treated in the schools.

—Hannah Kirby

c

Liberal : of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism (see liberalism sense 2a)

the Liberal Party of Canada

the Liberal Party of New York

2

: relating to economic liberalism (see liberalism sense 2d)

In truth, investment is consistent with both a conservative and a liberal economic philosophy, as American leaders dating to Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson have recognized.

—David Leonhardt

They were tethered to classically liberal dogmas on the primacy of the market, as well as to an international order shaped by American financial and military preeminence.

—Ishaan Tharoor

3

a

: marked by generosity : openhanded

a liberal supporter of the museum

a teacher liberal with their praise

b

: ample, plentiful

a cook who uses a liberal amount of spices

At their simplest, these programs mask plagiarism through liberal use of a thesaurus; replace enough words with synonyms and hopefully nobody will ever find the original source.

—Charles Seife

4

: of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts

a degree in liberal studies

Classical education, like liberal education, begins from a perspective of respect, not of politics.

—Adam M. Carrington

5

a

: not strict or exact : loose

… the crews generally have a fairly liberal interpretation of regulations, and once safely airborne, allow the passengers to sprawl about the cabin however they desire …

—Jay A. Stout

He called himself Mr. Richmouth (a liberal translation of Riccabocca).

—Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Louisiana's alligator hunting regs are fairly liberal, except that no nighttime hunting is allowed.

—Will Brantley

b

obsolete : without the required or expected restraint

… I will speak as liberal as the north; / Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, / All, all, cry shame against me, yet I'll speak.

—William Shakespeare

liberally

ˈli-b(ə-)rə-lē 

adverb

donates liberally to various charities

liberalness noun

liberal

2 of 2

noun

plural liberals

: a person who is liberal (see liberal entry 1): such as

a

: an adherent or advocate of liberalism and especially political liberalism (see liberalism sense 2a)

a policy that is supported by both liberals and conservatives in Congress

… the causes liberals have championed—racial and gender equality, workers' rights, equal opportunity, and so on …

—David McCabe

King's [Martin Luther King, Jr.'s] Christianity presents a challenge to liberals, who are often uncomfortable with religion in the public square, as well as to conservatives, who are more likely to embrace religion in politics but don't align themselves with the implications of many of King's core beliefs.

—Jonathan Eig

During his eight years in the Ohio House, Ramos was an outspoken liberal who, among other things, pushed for the abolition of the state's death penalty, legalized medical marijuana, making college more affordable, and state pension reform.

—Jeremy Pelzer

But criminal justice reform may prove more difficult to rally around, pitting conservative law-and-order advocates against social- and racial-justice liberals.

—Laurent Belsie

see also classical liberal

b

Liberal plural Liberals : a member or supporter of a Liberal (see liberal entry 1 sense 1c) political party

c

: someone who is open to ideas and ways of behaving that are not conventional or traditional

Synonyms of liberal

Adjective

• progressive
• modern
• radical
• unconventional
• contemporary

Choose the Right Synonym for liberal

liberal, generous, bountiful, munificent mean giving or given freely and unstintingly.

liberal suggests openhandedness in the giver and largeness in the thing or amount given.

a teacher liberal with her praise

generous stresses warmhearted readiness to give more than size or importance of the gift.

a generous offer of help

bountiful suggests lavish, unremitting giving or providing.

children spoiled by bountiful presents

munificent suggests a scale of giving appropriate to lords or princes.

a munificent foundation grant

Examples of liberal in a Sentence

Adjective

On most issues he was thought of as a generally liberal figure, but on gun control he was live-free-or-die National Rifle Association man. —Jonathan Raban, Harper's, Aug. 1993

Many fishermen keep their holes from freezing over with liberal injections of antifreeze. —Time, 28 Feb. 1974

Alexandra looked at him mournfully. "I try to be more liberal about such things than I used to be. I try to realize that we are not all made alike … " —Willa Cather, O Pioneers!, 1913

This cost him considerable, for Dick was rather fastidious about his cigars, and wouldn't smoke the cheapest. Besides, having a liberal nature, he was generally ready to treat his companions. —Horatio Alger, Ragged Dick, 1868

She is a liberal Democrat who married a conservative Republican.

He made a very liberal donation to the museum.

Noun

a policy that is supported both by liberals and conservatives in Congress

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The State Navigate poll showed that among voters who identify as very liberal, liberal, or slightly liberal, Spanberger has 99 percent support. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025

Setzer argued Democratic leaders in Congress shut down the government because of the liberal base. —Amie Parnes, The Hill, 23 Oct. 2025

Noun

Another one is the octo liberals. —Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025

Like Joe Biden’s election a year earlier, his win was a triumph of the Democratic Party’s moderate Black base over the radical-chic faculty liberals and their alienating ideas. —Molly Ball, Time, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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 entry 1; līber going back (via *leiber < *loi̯fero- < *lou̯fero- < *leu̯fero-) to Indo-European *h₁leu̯d^h-ero- (whence also Greek eleútheros "free"), derivative, with the adjective suffix -ero-, from a base *h₁leu̯d^h- 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

Note: The nominal base *h₁leu̯d^h- has been seen as derivative of an Indo-European verb *h₁leu̯d^h- "rise up, grow," seen in Germanic (Old English lēodan [class 2 strong verb] "to grow, spring up," Old Saxon liodan, Old High German liotan, Gothic liudan) and in Indo-Iranian (Sanskrit ródhati "[s/he, it] grows," Avestan raoδəṇti "[they] grow," raoδa "growth, sight, appearance"). A presumed sense development from "growth" to "that which is fully developed, form, shape" is evident in the Gothic element laud- (< *h₁lou̯d^h-), found in the compounds ƕelauþs "what degree of, what kind of," samalauþs "as much of," juggalauþs "young man." Another sense extension was likely "that which has grown out fully, set of descendants, stock, lineage" and hence "people." As the people that counted were those with full rights rather than slaves, an adjective formed from *h₁leu̯d^h- could easily enough mean "free"—hence Latin līber and Greek eleútheros. A more literal development of the Latin word would appear to be represented by Līber, the name of a Roman god of vegetation, with a feminine correspondent Lībera. Note also Latin līberī "sons, children" (with no singular), presumably the master of the household's legitimate and hence free children, opposed to the offspring of a slave. A classic presentation of this set of etymologies is by Émile Benveniste in Le vocabulaire des institutions indo-européennes (1969); aspects of it are not universally agreed upon.

Noun

derivative of liberal entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Noun

1611, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing liberal

• anti-liberal
• classical-liberal
• liberal arts
• limousine liberal

Rhymes for liberal

• illiberal
• neoliberal

Kids Definition

liberal

1 of 2 adjective

lib·​er·​al ˈlib(-ə)-rəl 

1

: of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts

a liberal education

2

a

: not stingy : generous

a liberal giver

b

: more than enough

a liberal allowance

3

: not strict

especially : not bound by traditional forms or beliefs

4

: of or relating to liberalism : not conservative

liberally

-rə-lē 

adverb

liberal

2 of 2 noun

: a person who is liberal especially in politics