liberal

1 not bound by traditional ways or beliefs parents who take a very liberal attitude toward letting their children stay out late Synonyms broad-minded, nonconventional, nonorthodox, nontraditional, open-minded, progressive, radical, unconventional, unorthodox Related Words advanced, contemporary, modern; forbearing, indulgent, large-minded, lenient, permissive, tolerant; extreme; impartial, objective, unbiased Near Antonyms hard, rigid, strict; doctrinal, dogmatic (also dogmatical); bigoted, blinkered, intolerant, narrow-minded; reactionary, unreconstructed Antonyms conservative, conventional, hidebound, nonprogressive, old-fashioned, orthodox, stodgy, traditional

2 being more than enough without being excessive he always puts liberal amounts of grated cheese on his pizza Synonyms abundant, ample, aplenty, bounteous, bountiful, comfortable, cornucopian, galore, generous, plentiful, plenteous, plentyRelated Words 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, profuseNear Antonyms deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting; meager (or meagre), niggardly, stingy; skimpy; least, minimum; light, slight, small; barren, infertile, sterile, unfruitful, unproductiveAntonyms bare, minimal, scant, spare

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 Synonyms bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, charitable, free, freehanded, freehearted, fulsome, generous, munificent, open, openhanded, unselfish, unsparing, unstintingRelated Words extravagant, handsome, lavish, overgenerous, profuse; altruistic, beneficent, benevolent, hospitable, humanitarian, philanthropic (also philanthropical); big, greathearted, largehearted, magnanimous, openhearted; compassionate, good-hearted, kind, kindly, samaritan, sympatheticNear Antonyms mean, petty, small; frugal, spare, sparing, thrifty; chary, stinting; acquisitive, avaricious, avid, coveting, covetous, desirous, grasping, hoggish, itchy, mercenary, rapacious; begrudging, envious, grudging, resentfulAntonyms cheap, close, closefisted, costive, illiberal [archaic], mingy, miserly, niggardly, parsimonious, penurious, selfish, stingy, stinting, tight, tightfisted, uncharitable, ungenerous