liberal
Meaning
-
- Pertaining to those arts and sciences the study of which is considered to provide general knowledge, as opposed to vocational/occupational, technical or mechanical training.
- Generous; permitting liberty; willing to give unsparingly.
- Ample, abundant; generous in quantity.
- (obsolete) Unrestrained, licentious.
- Widely open to new ideas, willing to depart from established opinions or conventions; permissive.
- Open to political or social changes and reforms associated with either classical or modern liberalism.
Synonyms
advocating liberty
noble-minded
free-soil
go-as-you-please
not small
sea-hearted
non-slave
moderate left
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈlɪbɹəl/
Etymology
The adjective is from Old French liberal, from Latin līberālis (“befitting a freeman”), from līber (“free”); it is attested since the 14th century. The noun is first attested in the 1800s.
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Notes