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Definition of liberalnext
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liberal

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective liberal contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of liberal are bountiful, generous, and munificent. While all these words 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

When could bountiful be used to replace liberal?

The words bountiful and liberal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bountiful suggests lavish, unremitting giving or providing.

children spoiled by bountiful presents

When is generous a more appropriate choice than liberal?

The synonyms generous and liberal are sometimes interchangeable, but generous stresses warmhearted readiness to give more than size or importance of the gift.

a generous offer of help

In what contexts can munificent take the place of liberal?

While the synonyms munificent and liberal are close in meaning, munificent suggests a scale of giving appropriate to lords or princes.

a munificent foundation grant

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of liberal
Adjective
The answer from liberal institutions revealed to be complicit in large-scale violence and mendacity should still be a firm no. Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026 The senator can now add his name to the growing roster of liberal Democrats who use violation of the rules, regulation, and the law to advance their political agenda. Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
Police have not released any further information about Corral, but angry social media users denounced him as a leftist and a liberal. Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025 Consider that in the United States, a liberal is someone who stands on the political left, probably voted for Joe Biden, and may subscribe to some lite socialism (another Humpty Dumpty term, but one at a time). Big Think, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for liberal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liberal
Adjective
  • But even at a progressive institution like Antioch, Coretta encountered the quiet betrayal of liberal hypocrisy.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
  • But donations from progressive groups have only rarely flowed their way.
    Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Yet there’s also a lot of love in the doc, particularly in the generous passages that explore his friendship with Reiner (who died in 2020) and his singular bond with second wife and sometime leading lady Anne Bancroft, who’s been gone for more than two decades.
    Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
  • For expats interested in sustainable living, this region is especially appealing thanks to its fertile land, generous rainfall, sunny growing conditions, and plentiful fruit trees and farmland.
    Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Schemmel, a devout Christian, has done charitable work for decades, ever since that awful day in July 1989 when 112 people died in a fiery crash of United Airlines Flight 232 in Sioux City, Iowa.
    Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.
    Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • However, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has already blasted Peltola as a radical leftist in a new 45-second ad.
    Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Rodríguez is a hard-line leftist with deeply anti-American views learned from her father, a Marxist guerrilla commander who died at the hands of Venezuelan security forces.
    Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Between one and three of those finalists will be inducted into the Hall along with between three and five modern-era players from a group of 15 finalists.
    CBS News, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Powell has always said central bank independence is essential to the stability of any modern economy.
    Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • One has a drier environment with plentiful airflow, while the other has a humid climate.
    Heather Bien, Southern Living, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Travel headaches were plentiful throughout the two-day ordeal, with luggage being separated from its owners as flights across the country trickled to a stop.
    Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Trump should ask himself whether stirring a hornet’s nest serves any purpose other than pointlessly alienating a benevolent neighbor that is beginning to pad its insurance policy by reaching out to non-hemispheric powers.
    Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Buckle up for progress in career, finances, love, family, visibility, with an umbrella of benevolent protection.
    Kimberly King, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Zoll said the Twins plan to use Rogers to get lefties out late in games.
    John Shipley, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2026
  • And the team has reinforced its minor league system as well by bringing in lefty Brendan Cellucci and assigning him to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
    Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Liberal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liberal. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

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