Synonyms for liberal
- adjective
- noun
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Handsome — generous; permitting liberty; willing to give unsparingly
free, handsome, generous, high-minded, charitable, munificent, noble-minded, open-handed, giving, abundant, bounteous, bountiful, magnanimous, noble, open, big-hearted, plentiful, chivalrous, disinterested, exuberant, lavish, hospitable
2. Broad — ample, abundant; generous in quantity
broad, large, big, full, wide, ample, great, gurt UK, expansive, copious, good-sized informal, prodigious, hefty
3. Tolerant — widely open to new ideas, willing to depart from established opinions or conventions; permissive
tolerant, broad-minded, catholic, open-minded, lenient, permissive, indulgent, forbearing, latitudinarian rare, unbigoted rare
Other
left-wing, capitalist, large-minded, left, liberalistic rare
Noun
1. Progressive
Definitions
- adj. 1
Generous; permitting liberty; willing to give unsparingly.
He was liberal with his compliments.
- adj. 2
Ample, abundant; generous in quantity.
Add a liberal sprinkling of salt.
- adj. 3
Widely open to new ideas, willing to depart from established opinions or conventions; permissive.
Her parents had liberal ideas about child-rearing.
- n. 1
One with liberal views, supporting individual liberty (see Wikipedia's article on Liberalism).
Forms
- Plural
- liberals → progressives, reformists, liberalists, libshits…
Choose the right word
That is ample which gives a safe, but not a large, margin beyond a given demand; that is abundant, affluent, bountiful, liberal, plentiful, which is largely in excess of manifest need.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- generous You're one of the most generous people I ever met.
- hefty A happy spirit is worth more than a hefty salary.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| liberal | steady | |
| generous | steady | |
| munificent | falling | |
| hefty | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- big1
- 4 letters
- free1, left1, open2, full1, easy2, wide1, gurt
- 5 letters
- great1, large1, broad1, loose1, noble2, ample2, hefty2
- 6 letters
- giving2, lavish2
- 7 letters
- copious3, lenient3, lustful2, libshit, libfuck
- 8 letters
- catholic2, handsome2, generous3, abundant3, tolerant3
- 9 letters
- plentiful3, expansive3, indulgent3, exuberant4, bountiful3, reformist3, bounteous, unbigoted
- 10 letters
- charitable4, capitalist4, hospitable4, prodigious3, permissive3, chivalrous, munificent, forbearing, liberalist
- 11 letters
- progressive3, magnanimous4
- 12 letters
- liberalistic
- 13 letters
- disinterested4
- 14 letters
- latitudinarian
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (open2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- libéral
- Italiano
- liberale
- Español
- liberal
- Deutsch
- freiheitlich
- Català
- liberal