liberal

See also Liberal

English

Etymology

From Old French liberal, from Latin liberalis (“befitting a freeman”), from liber (“free”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

liberal (comparative more liberal, superlative most liberal)

1. (now rare except in phrases) Pertaining to those arts and sciences whose study was considered "worthy of a free man" (as opposed to servile, mechanical); worthy, befitting a gentleman.

   He had a full education studying the liberal arts.

2. Generous, bountiful.

   He was liberal with his compliments.

3. Generous in quantity, abundant.

   Add a liberal sprinkling of salt.

4. (obsolete) Unrestrained, licentious.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, IV.1:

     A ruffian / Who hath indeed most like a liberall villaine, / Confest the vile encounters they have had.

5. Free from prejudice or narrow-mindedness; open-minded, open to new ideas, willing to depart from established opinions, conventions etc.; permissive.

   Her parents had liberal ideas about child-rearing.

6. (politics) Open to political or social changes and reforms in favour of increased freedom or democracy.

Derived terms

• liberal arts
• Liberal
• Liberal Democrat
• Liberal Party
• small-l liberal

Related terms

• liberalism
• liberalist
• liberate
• liberation
• libertarian
• liberty

See also

• conservative

Translations

generous in quantity

Dutch: vrijzinnig (nl) Finnish: avokätinen French: généreux (fr) m.

Russian: обильный (ru) (obíl'nyj), щедрый (ru) (ščédryj) Scottish Gaelic: pailt-làmhach (gd)

political description, following liberalism, sometimes used without regard to true meaning, as a pejorative

Dutch: liberaal (nl) Finnish: liberaali (fi) French: libéral (fr) m. Greek: φιλελεύθερος (el) (phileléuceros) m., φιλελεύθερη (el) (phileléuceri) f., φιλελεύθερο (el) (phileléucero) n., φιλελεύθεροι (el) (phileléuceroi) pl.

Romanian: liberal (ro) m. and n., liberală (ro) f. Russian: либеральный (ru) (liberál'nyj) Scottish Gaelic: libearalach (gd)

open-minded, favoring social freedom; permissive

Dutch: open (nl), liberaal (nl) Finnish: liberaalinen (fi), vapaamielinen (fi) French: large (fr) m. and f., libre (fr) m. and f.

Romanian: liberal (ro) m. and n. Russian: либеральный (ru) (liberál'nyj) Scottish Gaelic: libearalach (gd)

politically liberal

Dutch: libertaire (nl) m. and f. French: de gauche (fr) Greek: φιλελευθεροκεντρώος (el) (phileleucerokentrŵos) m., φιλελευθεροκεντρώα (el) (phileleucerokentrŵa) f., φιλελευθεροκεντρώο (el) (phileleucerokentrŵo) n., φιλελευθεροκεντρώοι (el) (phileleucerokentrŵoi) pl.

Polish: liberalny m. Romanian: liberal (ro) m. and n. Russian: либеральный (ru) (liberál'nyj) Scottish Gaelic: libearalach (gd) Yiddish: ליבעראל (yi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Esperanto: liberala Estonian: liberaalne French: libéral, libérale German: liberal Indonesian: liberal, bebas Italian: liberale

Japanese: リベラル (riberaru), 自由 (じゆう, jiyū) Korean: 자유 (jayu) Romanian: liberal m. liberală f. Spanish: liberal

Noun

liberal (plural liberals)

1. One with liberal views, supporting individual liberty (see Wikipedia on Liberalism for a description of the various and diverging trends of liberalism).
2. A supporter of any of the particular liberal parties.
3. (US) One on the left-wing of the American political spectrum. Sometimes used pejoratively in political campaigns.
4. (US, Also 'classical liberal', akin to libertarian) A person who favors individual voting rights, human and civil rights, individual gun rights, laissez-faire markets, and the gold standard.

Translations

One with liberal views, supporting individual liberty

Esperanto: liberulo (eo) Finnish: liberaali (fi) French: libéral (fr) m.

Russian: либерал (ru) (liberál) m. Scottish Gaelic: libearalach (gd) m.

supporter of any of the particular liberal parties

Finnish: liberaalisen puolueen kannattaja French: libéral (fr) Greek: Φιλελεύθερος (el) (Phileléuceros) m., Φιλελεύθερη (el) (Phileléceri) f., Φιλελεύθερο (el) (Phileléucero) n., Φιλελεύθεροι (el) (Phileléuceroi) pl.

Russian: либерал (ru) (liberál) m. Scottish Gaelic: libearalach (gd) m.

one opposing the views of a social conservative and favoring socially responsible taxes

Scottish Gaelic: libearalach (gd) m.

Spanish: progresista (es) m. and f.

person who favors individual voting rights, human and civil rights, individual gun-rights, laissez-faire markets, and the gold standard

Greek: φιλελεύθερος (el) (phileléuceros) m., φιλελεύθερη (el) (phileléuceri) f., φιλελεύθερο (el) (phileléucero) n., φιλελεύθεροι (el) (phileléuceroi) pl.

Scottish Gaelic: libearalach (gd) m. Spanish: libertario (es) m., libertaria (es) f.

External links

• liberal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• liberal in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

• Braille

---

Spanish

Adjective

liberal m. and f. (plural liberales)

1. liberal

---

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

liberal

1. liberal

Declension

Declension of liberal

Inflections of liberal		Absolute	Comparative	Superlative
				Attributive	Predicative
Indefinite singular	Common	liberal	liberalare		liberalast
	Neuter	liberalt
Definite singular	Masc.	liberale		liberalaste
	All	liberala		liberalaste
Plural		liberala		liberalaste

Noun

liberal c.

1. a liberal

Declension

Declension of liberal

	singular		plural
Common	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	liberal	liberalen	liberaler	liberalerna
genitive	liberals	liberalens	liberalers	liberalernas