Search Result for "liberal": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (2)

1. a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties;
[syn: liberal, liberalist, progressive]

2. a person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets;


ADJECTIVE (5)

1. showing or characterized by broad-mindedness;
- Example: "a broad political stance"
- Example: "generous and broad sympathies"
- Example: "a liberal newspaper"
- Example: "tolerant of his opponent's opinions"
[syn: broad, large-minded, liberal, tolerant]

2. having political or social views favoring reform and progress;

3. tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition;

4. given or giving freely;
- Example: "was a big tipper"
- Example: "the bounteous goodness of God"
- Example: "bountiful compliments"
- Example: "a freehanded host"
- Example: "a handsome allowance"
- Example: "Saturday's child is loving and giving"
- Example: "a liberal backer of the arts"
- Example: "a munificent gift"
- Example: "her fond and openhanded grandfather"
[syn: big, bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, freehanded, handsome, giving, liberal, openhanded]

5. not literal;
- Example: "a loose interpretation of what she had been told"
- Example: "a free translation of the poem"
[syn: free, loose, liberal]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Liberal \Lib"er*al\ (l[i^]b"[~e]r*al), a. [F. lib['e]ral, 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. [1913 Webster] 2. Bestowing in a large and noble way, as a freeman; generous; bounteous; open-handed; as, a liberal giver. " Liberal of praise." --Bacon. [1913 Webster] Infinitely good, and of his good As liberal and free as infinite. --Milton. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] His wealth doth warrant a liberal dower. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] 5. Not narrow or contracted in mind; not selfish; enlarged in spirit; catholic. [1913 Webster] 6. Free to excess; regardless of law or moral restraint; licentious. " Most like a liberal villain." --Shak. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] I confess I see nothing liberal in this " order of thoughts," as Hobbes elsewhere expresses it. --Hazlitt. [1913 Webster] Note: 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] 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. [1913 Webster] Syn: Generous; bountiful; munificent; beneficent; ample; large; profuse; free. Usage: 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. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Liberal \Lib"er*al\, 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]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

liberal adj 1: showing or characterized by broad-mindedness; "a broad political stance"; "generous and broad sympathies"; "a liberal newspaper"; "tolerant of his opponent's opinions" [syn: broad, large-minded, liberal, tolerant] 2: having political or social views favoring reform and progress 3: tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition [ant: conservative] 4: given or giving freely; "was a big tipper"; "the bounteous goodness of God"; "bountiful compliments"; "a freehanded host"; "a handsome allowance"; "Saturday's child is loving and giving"; "a liberal backer of the arts"; "a munificent gift"; "her fond and openhanded grandfather" [syn: big, bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, freehanded, handsome, giving, liberal, openhanded] 5: not literal; "a loose interpretation of what she had been told"; "a free translation of the poem" [syn: free, loose, liberal] n 1: a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties [syn: liberal, liberalist, progressive] [ant: conservative, conservativist] 2: a person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

207 Moby Thesaurus words for "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
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Liberal, MO -- U.S. city in Missouri Population (2000): 779 Housing Units (2000): 361 Land area (2000): 0.837014 sq. miles (2.167855 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.006604 sq. miles (0.017103 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.843618 sq. miles (2.184958 sq. km) FIPS code: 41906 Located within: Missouri (MO), FIPS 29 Location: 37.558860 N, 94.520546 W ZIP Codes (1990): 64762 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Liberal, MO Liberal
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Liberal, KS -- U.S. city in Kansas Population (2000): 19666 Housing Units (2000): 7014 Land area (2000): 11.058466 sq. miles (28.641294 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.138334 sq. miles (0.358283 sq. km) Total area (2000): 11.196800 sq. miles (28.999577 sq. km) FIPS code: 39825 Located within: Kansas (KS), FIPS 20 Location: 37.043418 N, 100.928133 W ZIP Codes (1990): 67901 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Liberal, KS Liberal