Need another word that means the same as “liberal”? Find 59 synonyms and 30 related words for “liberal” in this overview.
- Liberal as a Noun
- Definitions of "Liberal" as a noun
- Synonyms of "Liberal" as a noun (2 Words)
- Usage Examples of "Liberal" as a noun
- Liberal as an Adjective
- Definitions of "Liberal" as an adjective
- Synonyms of "Liberal" as an adjective (57 Words)
- Usage Examples of "Liberal" as an adjective
- Associations of "Liberal" (30 Words)
The synonyms of “Liberal” are: big, bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, freehanded, giving, handsome, openhanded, broad, large-minded, tolerant, free, loose, unprejudiced, unbigoted, broad-minded, open-minded, enlightened, forbearing, progressive, advanced, modern, forward-looking, reformist, radical, abundant, copious, ample, plentiful, generous, lavish, luxuriant, profuse, considerable, prolific, rich, magnanimous, unsparing, unstinting, ungrudging, munificent, beneficent, benevolent, kind-hearted, kind, philanthropic, charitable, altruistic, unselfish, wide-ranging, general, humanistic, flexible, rough, not literal, not strict, not close, liberalist
Liberal as a Noun
Definitions of "Liberal" as a noun
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “liberal” as a noun can have the following definitions:
- A supporter of a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.
- A person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets.
- A person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties.
- A supporter or member of a Liberal party or (in the UK) the Liberal Democrat Party.
- A supporter of policies that are socially progressive and promote social welfare.
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Synonyms of "Liberal" as a noun (2 Words)
liberalist | A person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties. |
progressive | A progressive tense or aspect. People tend to present themselves either as progressives or traditionalists on this issue. |
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Usage Examples of "Liberal" as a noun
- Classical liberals emphasized the right of the individual to make decisions, even if the results dismayed their neighbours or injured themselves.
- Are we dealing with a polarization between liberals and conservatives?
- The Liberals are looking to defend a seat in Tuebrook and Stoneycroft.
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Liberal as an Adjective
Definitions of "Liberal" as an adjective
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “liberal” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
- Having political or social views favoring reform and progress.
- (in a political context) favouring policies that are socially progressive and promote social welfare.
- Tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition.
- Given, used, or occurring in generous amounts.
- Given or giving freely.
- Showing or characterized by broad-mindedness.
- Willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own; open to new ideas.
- Relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.
- (of a person) giving generously.
- Relating to a Liberal party or (in the UK) the Liberal Democrat Party.
- Regarding many traditional beliefs as dispensable, invalidated by modern thought, or liable to change.
- (of education) concerned with broadening a person's general knowledge and experience, rather than with technical or professional training.
- (especially of an interpretation of a law) broadly construed or understood; not strictly literal or exact.
- Not literal.
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Synonyms of "Liberal" as an adjective (57 Words)
abundant | Having plenty of. There was abundant evidence to support the theory. |
advanced | Modern and recently developed. People of advanced years. |
altruistic | Showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others. I question how altruistic his motives were. |
ample | Fairly large. Had ample food for the party. |
beneficent | (of a person) generous or doing good. A beneficent landowner. |
benevolent | Well meaning and kindly. A benevolent smile. |
big | Fully developed. A small company with big plans. |
bighearted | Given or giving freely. |
bounteous | Generously given or giving; bountiful. The bounteous goodness of God. |
bountiful | Giving generously. This bountiful God has thought of everything. |
broad | Broad in scope or content. A broad expanse of paddy fields. |
broad-minded | Inclined to respect views and beliefs that differ from your own. |
charitable | Generous in giving to those in need. Those who were less charitable called for his resignation. |
considerable | (of a person) having merit or distinction. A considerable quantity. |
copious | Large in number or quantity (especially of discourse. Copious provisions. |
enlightened | Having knowledge and spiritual insight. We become enlightened in our relationship with God. |
flexible | Capable of being changed. You can save money if you re flexible about where your room is located. |
forbearing | Showing patient and unruffled self-control and restraint under adversity; slow to retaliate or express resentment. He proved to be remarkably forbearing whenever I was impatient or angry. |
forward-looking | Ahead of the times. |
free | Not or no longer confined or imprisoned. Free enterprise. |
freehanded | Done by hand without mechanical aids or devices. A freehanded host. |
general | Prevailing among and common to the general public. In general terms. |
generous | Willing to give and share unstintingly. A generous benefactor to the University. |
giving | Given or giving freely. Saturday s child is loving and giving. |
handsome | (of a number, sum of money, or margin) substantial. He was elected by a handsome majority. |
humanistic | Marked by humanistic values and devotion to human welfare. Respect and humanistic regard for all members of our species. |
kind | Agreeable, conducive to comfort. A kind master. |
kind-hearted | Having or proceeding from an innately kind disposition. |
large-minded | Showing or characterized by broad-mindedness. |
lavish | Sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious. Lavish praise. |
loose | (of the ball or puck in a game) in play but not in any player’s possession. The tethered horses broke loose. |
luxuriant | (of vegetation) rich and profuse in growth; lush. Forests of dark luxuriant foliage. |
magnanimous | Generous and understanding and tolerant. Magnanimous toward his enemies. |
modern | Belonging to the modern era since the Middle Ages. Modern German. |
munificent | Characterized by or displaying great generosity. His father gave him a half dollar and his mother a quarter and he thought them munificent. |
not close | Rigorously attentive; strict and thorough. |
not literal | Limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text. |
not strict | Severe and unremitting in making demands. |
open-minded | Ready to entertain new ideas. |
openhanded | Given or giving freely. Her fond and openhanded grandfather. |
philanthropic | (of a person or organization) seeking to promote the welfare of others; generous and benevolent. They receive financial support from philanthropic bodies. |
plentiful | Affording an abundant supply. Rhinoceroses were once plentiful here. |
profuse | (of a person) extravagant. They are profuse in hospitality. |
progressive | Advancing in severity. Progressive paralysis. |
prolific | (of a plant, animal, or person) producing much fruit or foliage or many offspring. A prolific goalscorer. |
radical | Markedly new or introducing radical change. Radical political views. |
reformist | Supporting or advancing gradual reform rather than abolition or revolution. The reformist policies of the government. |
rich | Marked by richness and fullness of flavor. A rich tenor voice. |
rough | Not exact or precise; approximate. A rough draft. |
tolerant | Tolerant and forgiving under provocation. Tolerant of his opponent s opinions. |
unbigoted | Not opinionated. |
ungrudging | Without envy or reluctance. Ungrudging admiration. |
unprejudiced | Not having or showing a dislike or distrust based on fixed or preconceived ideas. An unprejudiced appraisal of the pros and cons. |
unselfish | Disregarding your own advantages and welfare over those of others. Unselfish devotion. |
unsparing | Not forbearing; ruthless. He is unsparing in his criticism of the arms trade. |
unstinting | Given or giving without restraint; unsparing. Called for unstinting aid to Britain. |
wide-ranging | Widely different. |
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Usage Examples of "Liberal" as an adjective
- A liberal backer of the arts.
- The provision of liberal adult education.
- Liberal amounts of wine had been consumed.
- They have liberal views on divorce.
- Sam was too liberal with the wine.
- They could have given the 1968 Act a more liberal interpretation.
- The strategy was to portray the press as members of a liberal elite.
- The Liberal leader.
- She is under attack from the right wing for making her own liberal political views known.
- A liberal newspaper.
- A liberal democratic state.
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Associations of "Liberal" (30 Words)
activism | A policy of taking direct action to achieve a political or social goal. Growing activism on the abortion issue. |
activist | Advocating or engaged in activism. Police arrested three activists. |
anarchist | A person who advocates or promotes anarchism or anarchy. An anarchist newspaper. |
capitalist | Of or relating to capitalism or capitalists. Capitalist countries. |
communism | A theory or system of social organization in which all property is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and needs. |
communist | A member of the communist party. Communist governments. |
crusader | A person who campaigns vigorously for political, social, or religious change; a campaigner. Crusaders for early detection and treatment of mental illnesses. |
decentralize | Move departments of (a large organization) away from a single administrative centre to other locations. He argues that giant corporations must decentralize. |
democracy | A state governed under a system of democracy. A system of parliamentary democracy. |
democratic | Belong to or relating to the Democratic Party. A democratic country. |
equality | A symbolic expression of the fact that two quantities are equal; an equation. An organization aiming to promote racial equality. |
feminism | The movement aimed at equal rights for women. |
freely | Willingly and readily. She drank freely to keep up her courage. |
ideology | A system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy. A critique of bourgeois ideology. |
legislator | A person who makes laws; a member of a legislative body. 24 incumbent legislators lost their seats. |
liberalist | A person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties. |
libertarian | An advocate of libertarianism. A lot of people are very libertarian they just haven t heard the term. |
matriarchy | The state of being an older, powerful woman in a family or group. A matriarchy run by morally superior women. |
munificent | Characterized by or displaying great generosity. A munificent bequest. |
organizational | Relating to an organization or the way it is set up. She has great organizational skills. |
progressive | A progressive tense or aspect. The present progressive. |
protest | Utter words of protest. The senator rose to register his protest. |
radical | Markedly new or introducing radical change. In the body free radicals are high energy particles that ricochet wildly and damage cells. |
reformist | A person who advocates gradual reform rather than abolition or revolution. The reformist policies of the government. |
republic | A form of government whose head of state is not a monarch. The head of state in a republic is usually a president. |
socialist | Advocating or following the socialist principles. The history of socialist movement. |
suffragette | A woman seeking the right to vote through organized protest. |
suffragist | A person advocating that the right to vote be extended to more people, especially to women. |
unstinting | Given or giving without restraint; unsparing. He was unstinting in his praise. |
utopia | A work of fiction describing a utopia. Misplaced faith in political utopias has led to ruin. |
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