liberal

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: Lib=er=al

CIDE DICTIONARY

liberal, a. [F. libéral, L. liberalis, from liber free; perh. akin to libet, lubet, it pleases, E. lief. Cf. Deliver.].

•  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.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  Bestowing in a large and noble way, as a freeman; generous; bounteous; open-handed; as, a liberal giver.  Bacon.  [1913 Webster]

  "Infinitely good, and of his good
  As liberal and free as infinite."  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]

  "His wealth doth warrant a liberal dower."  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  Not narrow or contracted in mind; not selfish; enlarged in spirit; catholic.  [1913 Webster]
•  Free to excess; regardless of law or moral restraint; licentious.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]

  " 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."  [1913 Webster]

  "I confess I see nothing liberal in this “ order of thoughts,” as Hobbes elsewhere expresses it."  [1913 Webster]

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, n. 

 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.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

liberal, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 given freely; ample, abundant.
2 (often foll. by of) giving freely, generous, not sparing.
3 open-minded, not prejudiced.
4 not strict or rigorous; (of interpretation) not literal.
5 for general broadening of the mind, not professional or technical (liberal studies).
6 a favouring individual liberty, free trade, and moderate political and social reform. b (Liberal) of or characteristic of Liberals or a Liberal Party.
7 Theol. regarding many traditional beliefs as dispensable, invalidated by modern thought, or liable to change (liberal Protestant; liberal Judaism).
--n.
1 a person of liberal views.
2 (Liberal) a supporter or member of a Liberal Party.

Idiom

liberal arts
1 US the arts as distinct from science and technology.
2 hist. the medieval trivium and quadrivium. Liberal Democrat (in the UK) a member of a party (formerly the Social and Liberal Democrats) formed from the Liberal Party and members of the Social Democratic Party. Liberal Party a political party advocating liberal policies.

Usage

In the UK the name was discontinued in official use in 1988, when the party regrouped with others to form the Social and Liberal Democrats (see Liberal Democrat).

Derivative

liberalism n. liberalist n. liberalistic adj. liberally adv. liberalness n.

Etymology

ME, orig. = befitting a free man, f. OF f. L liberalis f. liber free (man)

THESAURUS

liberal

Gospel side, abounding, abundant, advanced, affluent, all-sufficing, amiable, ample, aplenty, benevolent, big, big person, bighearted, bottomless, bounteous, bountiful, broad, broad-gauge person, broad-minded, cantorial side, charitable, chivalrous, copious, cordial, counterclockwise, diffuse, disinterested, dispassionate, ecumenicist, effuse, eleemosynary, elevated, epidemic, exalted, exhaustless, extensive, extravagant, exuberant, fair, far-embracing, far-extending, far-flung, far-flying, far-going, far-ranging, far-reaching, fat, fertile, flexible, flush, forbearing, free, free lance, free spirit, free trader, freehanded, freehearted, freethinker, freethinking, friendly, full, galore, generous, genial, giving, gracious, great, great of heart, greathearted, handsome, hearty, heroic, high, high-minded, hospitable, humanistic, idealistic, impartial, in plenty, in quantity, independent, indiscriminate, individualist, individualistic, indulgent, inexhaustible, isolationist, knightly, larboard, large, large-scale, largehearted, latitudinarian, lavish, left, left hand, left of center, left wing, left-hand, left-hand side, left-wing, left-winger, left-wingish, leftist, lenient, levorotatory, liberalist, liberalistic, libertarian, libertine, lofty, loose, luxuriant, magnanimous, many, maximal, much, mugwump, munificent, near, near side, neighborly, neutral, nigh, noble, noble-minded, nonpartisan, numerous, on the left, open, open-handed, open-minded, openhanded, openhearted, opulent, overflowing, philanthropic, plenitudinous, plenteous, plentiful, plenty, port, port tack, portside, prevailing, prevalent, princely, prodigal, productive, profuse, profusive, progressive, progressivist, progressivistic, radical, rampant, receptive, reformer, reformist, replete, rich, rife, riotous, rugged individualist, running over, sinister, sinistral, sinistrocerebral, sinistrocular, sinistrogyrate, sinistrorse, stintless, sublime, superabundant, sweeping, teeming, third force, third world, tolerant, unbigoted, ungrudging, unjaundiced, unopinionated, unprejudiced, unselfish, unsparing, unstinted, unstinting, verso, warm, warmhearted, wealthy, welcoming, welfare stater, well-found, well-furnished, well-provided, well-stocked, wholesale, wide, wide-extended, wide-extending, wide-ranging, wide-reaching, wide-stretching, widespread, wrong side

ROGET THESAURUS

liberal

Sufficiency

VB be sufficient, suffice, do, just do, satisfy, pass muster, have enough, eat, one's fill, drink one's fill, have one's fill, roll in, swim in, wallow in, wanton, abound, exuberate, teem, flow, stream, rain, shower down, pour, pour in, swarm, bristle with, superabound, render sufficient, replenish, Adj, sufficient, enough, adequate, up to the mark, commensurate, competent, satisfactory, valid, tangible, measured, moderate, full, ample, plenty, plentiful, plenteous, plenty as blackberries, copious, abundant, abounding, replete, enough and to spare, flush, choke-full, chock-full, well-stocked, well- provided, liberal, unstinted, unstinting, stintless, without stint, unsparing, unmeasured, lavish, wholesale, rich, luxuriant, affluent, wantless, big with, unexhausted, unwasted, exhaustless, inexhaustible, Adv, sufficiently, amply.

N sufficiency, adequacy, enough, withal, satisfaction, competence, no less, quantum sufficit, Q, S, mediocrity, fill, fullness, plenitude, plenty, abundance, copiousness, amplitude, galore, lots, profusion, full measure, good measure pressed down and running, over, luxuriance, affluence, fat of the land, a land flowing with milk and honey, cornucopia, horn of plenty, horn of Amalthaea, mine, outpouring, flood, tide, repletion, satiety, sufficient, enough, adequate, up to the mark, commensurate, competent, satisfactory, valid, tangible, measured, moderate, full, ample, plenty, plentiful, plenteous, plenty as blackberries, copious, abundant, abounding, replete, enough and to spare, flush, choke-full, chock-full, well-stocked, well- provided, liberal, unstinted, unstinting, stintless, without stint, unsparing, unmeasured, lavish, wholesale, rich, luxuriant, affluent, wantless, big with, unexhausted, unwasted, exhaustless, inexhaustible, sufficiently, amply Adj, full, in abundance, with no sparing hand, to one's heart's content, ad libitum, without stint, cut and come again, das Beste ist gut genug.

Liberality

N liberality, generosity, munificence, bounty, bounteousness, bountifulness, hospitality, charity, liberal, free, generous, charitable, hospitable, bountiful, bounteous, handsome, unsparing, ungrudging, unselfish, open handed, free handed, full handed, open hearted, large hearted, free hearted, munificent, princely, overpaid, handsome is that handsome does.

Disinterestedness

N disinterestedness, generosity, liberality, liberalism, altruism, benevolence, elevation, loftiness of purpose, exaltation, magnanimity, chivalry, chivalrous spirit, heroism, sublimity, self-denial, self-abnegation, self-sacrifice, self-immolation, self-control, stoicism, devotion, martyrdom, suttee, labor of love, disinterested, unselfish, self-denying, self-sacrificing, self- devoted, generous, handsome, liberal, noble, broad-minded, noble-minded, high-minded, princely, great, high, elevated, lofty, exalted, spirited, stoical, magnanimous, great-hearted, large-hearted, chivalrous, heroic, sublime, unbought, unbribed, uncorrupted, non vobis solum.