Synonyms for liberal
ˈlɪb ər əl, ˈlɪb rəllib·er·al

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. liberal

   Generous (Latin genus, a race) primarily signifies having the qualities worthy of noble or honorable birth; hence, free and abundant in giving, giving freely, heartily, and self-sacrificingly. As regards giving, generous refers rather to the self-sacrificing heartiness of the giver, liberal to the amount of the gift; a child may show himself generous in the gift of an apple, a millionaire makes a liberal donation; a generous gift, however, is commonly thought of as both ample and hearty. A munificent gift is vast in amount, whatever the motive of its bestowal. One may be free with another's money; he can be generous only with his own. Disinterested suggests rather the thought of one's own self-denial; generous, of one's hearty interest in another's welfare or happiness. One is magnanimous by a greatness of soul (Latin magnus, great, and animus, soul) that rises above all that is poor, mean, or weak, especially above every petty or ignoble motive or feeling pertaining to one's self, and thus above resentment of injury or insult; one is generous by a kindness of heart that would rejoice in the welfare rather than in the punishment of the offender.

   Synonyms:
   bountiful, chivalrous, disinterested, free, free-handed, free-hearted, generous, magnanimous, munificent, noble, open-handed, open-hearted

   Antonyms:
   avaricious, close, covetous, greedy, ignoble, illiberal, mean, miserly, niggardly, parsimonious, penurious, petty, rapacious, stingy

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. liberal

   Synonyms:
   free, gentle, refined, polished, generous, bountiful, catholic, enlarged, copious, ample, profuse, large, handsome, munificent, abundant, noble-minded, bounteous, tolerant, plentiful

   Antonyms:
   churlish, low, mean, boorish, ungenerous, illiberal, grasping, niggardly, avaricious, greedy, gainful, narrow-minded, bigoted, prejudiced, contracted, scanty, inadequate

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. liberal, liberalist, progressivenoun

   a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties

   Synonyms:
   progressive, imperfect, liberalist, imperfect tense, progressive tense, continuous tense

   Antonyms:
   conservativist, conservative, narrow, exact, hidebound, buttoned-up, ungenerous, standpat(a), fusty, traditionalist, blimpish, stingy, right, nonprogressive, narrow-minded, ultraconservative, unprogressive, center

2. liberaladjective

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

   Synonyms:
   progressive, liberalist

   Antonyms:
   conservative, conservativist, exact, ungenerous, narrow, center, stingy, right, hidebound, buttoned-up, blimpish, traditionalist, nonprogressive, narrow-minded, standpat(a), fusty, ultraconservative, unprogressive

3. broad, large-minded, liberal, tolerantadjective

   showing or characterized by broad-mindedness

   "a broad political stance"; "generous and broad sympathies"; "a liberal newspaper"; "tolerant of his opponent's opinions"

   Synonyms:
   broad, bounteous, big, freehanded, full(a), panoptic, all-encompassing, extensive, all-inclusive, loose, unspecific, spacious, broad(a), patient of, encompassing, blanket(a), kind, free, all-embracing, across-the-board, tolerant, resistant, giving, bighearted, large-minded, wide, openhanded, handsome, bountiful, unsubtle

   Antonyms:
   conservative, conservativist, fusty, ungenerous, ultraconservative, narrow-minded, center, right, standpat(a), unprogressive, narrow, nonprogressive, buttoned-up, blimpish, traditionalist, stingy, exact, hidebound

4. liberaladjective

   having political or social views favoring reform and progress

   Synonyms:
   handsome, large-minded, giving, bighearted, openhanded, bounteous, broad, bountiful, free, loose, tolerant, freehanded, big

   Antonyms:
   conservativist, conservative, ultraconservative, exact, unprogressive, narrow-minded, buttoned-up, nonprogressive, stingy, blimpish, fusty, narrow, hidebound, right, center, standpat(a), ungenerous, traditionalist

5. liberaladjective

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

   Synonyms:
   handsome, large-minded, giving, bighearted, openhanded, bounteous, broad, bountiful, free, loose, tolerant, freehanded, big

   Antonyms:
   conservative, conservativist, right, ungenerous, narrow-minded, center, traditionalist, exact, blimpish, buttoned-up, narrow, standpat(a), unprogressive, hidebound, nonprogressive, fusty, ultraconservative, stingy

6. big, bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, freehanded, handsome, giving, liberal, openhandedadjective

   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"

   Synonyms:
   plentiful, magnanimous, bountiful, prominent, big, vainglorious, cock-a-hoop, free, braggy, good-looking, with child(p), fine-looking, giving, large-minded, grownup, grown, large(p), enceinte, well-favoured, bounteous, self-aggrandizing, broad, swelled, handsome, fully grown, braggart(a), bighearted, expectant, freehand, tolerant, heavy(a), great(p), large, bragging(a), bad, freehanded, heavy(p), well-favored, big(a), better-looking, self-aggrandising, boastful, full-grown, openhanded, adult, gravid, big(p), crowing, loose

   Antonyms:
   conservativist, conservative, ungenerous, unprogressive, standpat(a), hidebound, ultraconservative, narrow-minded, nonprogressive, buttoned-up, fusty, narrow, exact, traditionalist, center, stingy, blimpish, right

7. free, loose, liberaladjective

   not literal

   "a loose interpretation of what she had been told"; "a free translation of the poem"

   Synonyms:
   spare, bountiful, sluttish, wanton, devoid, big, at large(p), idle, costless, large-minded, bounteous, easy, promiscuous, tolerant, detached, informal, complimentary, unaffixed, handsome, open, gratis(p), bighearted, slack, innocent, on the loose(p), destitute, freehanded, gratuitous, barren, broad, free, openhanded, giving, light, escaped, lax, loose

   Antonyms:
   conservativist, conservative, unprogressive, right, hidebound, fusty, exact, narrow-minded, standpat(a), center, narrow, ultraconservative, traditionalist, nonprogressive, buttoned-up, ungenerous, stingy, blimpish

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. liberaladjective

   Synonyms:
   generous, bountiful, free, beneficent, munificent, princely, charitable, open-hearted, free-hearted, unselfish, disinterested

2. liberaladjective

   Synonyms:
   enlarged, catholic, tolerant, unbigoted, high-minded, magnanimous, honorable, chivalrous

3. liberaladjective

   Synonyms:
   large, full, unstinted, abundant, ample, plentiful

4. liberalnoun

   Synonyms:
   liberalist, advocate of liberal principles

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. liberaladjective

   Synonyms:
   generous, open-handed, bounteous, munificent, unstinted, princely, profuse, lavish, ample, abundant, catholic, magnanimous, tolerant

   Antonyms:
   illiberal, ungenerous, stingy, limited, narrow, bigoced

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "liberal":

   liberals, eldr, liberality, liberalism, free, al-ahrar, liberalist, free-market, lenient, liberal-minded

How to pronounce liberal?

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How to use liberal in a sentence?

1. James R. Cook:

   The liberal agenda is the blueprint for national ruin.

2. Rafal Trzaskowski:

   Not everyone has to march in an equality parade, but everyone should respect the rights of minority groups, this has nothing to with whether one is leftist or liberal or conservative.

3. Cindy Hyde-Smith:

   And then they remind me that there's a lot of liberal folks in those other schools who maybe we don't want to vote. Maybe we want to make it just a little more difficult. And I think that's a great idea.

4. Alan Simpson:

   The word liberal distinguishes whatever nourishes the mind and spirit from the training which is merely practical or professional or from the trivialities which are no training at all.

5. New Jersey:

   Aside from an ongoing Ethics Committee probe, the legal cloud over Menendez appears to be lifting. But he still faces political headwinds in his bid this year for a third Senate term and in his purported attempt to retain the committee post. Menendez’s net approval rating among registered voters has fallen 20 points since the start of 2017 -- the biggest decline of any senator up for 2018 reelection, according to a recent Morning Consult poll based on a survey from October through December 2017. New Jersey voters will continue to be reminded of Menendez's dishonest schemes as the election approaches in November, Republican National Committee spokesman Bob Salera recently said. If Menendez indeed reclaims his top post on the foreign relations committee, he would push aside Maryland New Jersey Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who now occupies the ranking-member post. The liberal wing of New Jersey Democratic also has expressed concern about Menendez’s return, considering he’s regarded as more moderate than Ben Cardin. Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants, did not support former President Barack Obama’s efforts to improve diplomatic relations with the Cuban government or the Iran nuclear deal, brokered by the Obama administration. Federal prosecutors decided two weeks ago not to retry Menendez on corruption charges, after their case ended last fall in a hung jury. Menendez, 64, was charged with trading his political influence for gifts and campaign contributions from Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen. He denied the allegations all along. The prosecutors ’ decision ended Menendez and Melgen’s 11-week trial and their roughly five-year investigation. From the very beginning, I never wavered in my innocence and my belief that justice would prevail, Menendez said after prosecutors dropped the case. I am grateful that the Department of Justice has taken the time to re-evaluate its case and come to the appropriate conclusion. However, The New Jersey Democratic senator also issued a warning last year to those who were eager to replace The New Jersey Democratic senator in the Senate. To those who were digging my political grave so they could jump into my seat, I know who you are and I wo n’t forget you.