# liberal

Pronunciation: US say "LIB-er-uhl" /ˈlɪbəɹəl/; UK say "LIB-ruhl" /ˈlɪbɹəl/

## Adjective

1. Of a person's politics or a policy: favoring the political and social reform linked with liberalism, classical or modern, as a body of ideas rather than a named party.
   - Simple: Willing to accept political and social change that gives people more freedom.
   - _The liberal reformers of the nineteenth century pushed for free trade and a wider vote._
   - _The party's platform took a liberal line on immigration and civil rights._
3. Open to new ideas, willing to break with established opinions or customs, and permissive rather than strict.
   - Simple: Willing to accept new ideas and different ways of doing things, and not strict.
   - _The company has a liberal policy on remote work, letting staff choose where they work._
   - _Raised in a liberal household, he was free to question everything, including religion._
4. Relating to the arts and sciences studied for general knowledge rather than for vocational, technical, or mechanical training, now mostly in set phrases such as liberal arts.
   - Simple: Describes study that gives broad general knowledge, not training for a particular job.
   - _The university requires every engineering student to take two liberal studies courses._
   - _She studied history and philosophy at a small liberal arts college before going on to law school._
7. Present or given in a generous, plentiful quantity.
   - Simple: Large in amount, more than just enough.
   - _Apply a liberal coat of wood glue to both surfaces before clamping them._
   - _The salad arrived with a liberal scattering of toasted walnuts._
10. Departing freely from the exact wording of a text or rules when translating or interpreting them, instead of keeping strictly to the letter.
   - Simple: Not exact or word for word, used about a translation or the way someone reads rules.
   - _Critics praised the liberal translation for capturing the novel's humor, even where it strayed from the original sentences._
   - _The court rejected the company's liberal interpretation of the contract and held it to the plain meaning of the text._
9. Generous, giving freely and without holding back, whether money, praise, or freedom.
   - Simple: Happy to give things freely, such as money, praise, or freedom.
   - _The foundation has been liberal in its support of local schools._
   - _She was liberal with advice but stingy with her own time._

## Noun

2. A person who holds progressive or left-wing views, particularly on social issues and the environment. *(Canadian, Philippine, US)*
   - Simple: A person with left-wing political views, especially about social issues and the environment.
   - _As a lifelong liberal, she has marched for abortion rights and stricter pollution limits._
   - _The bill drew support from liberals in both parties who wanted tougher emissions rules._
8. A person who holds to liberalism as a political philosophy, with individual liberty and rights at its center, in its general sense and not only the present-day left-wing one.
   - Simple: A person who believes strongly in each person's freedom.
   - _A true liberal, he defended the free speech of people he strongly disagreed with._
   - _Liberals of every stripe have argued that the state should leave private conscience alone._

## Adjective · Liberal

5. Relating to the Liberal Party, its members, or its platform, policies, or views.
   - Simple: Having to do with the Liberal Party, its members, or its ideas.
   - _The Liberal government in Ottawa introduced a national carbon price._
   - _Several Liberal backbenchers broke ranks to vote against the bill._

## Noun · Liberal

6. A member or supporter of a political party called the Liberal Party, such as those of Canada and Australia or Britain's historic Liberal Party.
   - Simple: Someone who belongs to or supports a Liberal Party, for example in Canada, in Australia, or in Britain in the past.
   - _The Liberals lost a third of their seats but stayed in the coalition._
   - _As a young Liberal, he campaigned for free trade and lower tariffs._

## Noun · Liberal

11. A Whig: a member or supporter of the Whig party in British politics. *(dated, British)*
   - Simple: A member or supporter of the Whigs, an old British political party.

## Adjective

12. Behaving without restraint or regard for morals; licentious. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Behaving in a wild and shameless way, without caring about right and wrong.

## Origin

Latin līber ("free") is the root of līberālis ("befitting a freeman"), which came into English through Old French liberal. The adjective has been in use since the 14th century; the noun first shows up in the 1800s.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/liberal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).