- willing to understand and respect other people’s behaviour, opinions, etc., especially when they are different from your own; believing people should be able to choose how they behave
- liberal attitudes/views/opinions
- My parents were very liberal when we were growing up.
Extra Examples- He is relatively liberal on social issues.
- His attitudes are fairly liberal.
- Her parents are very liberal and allow her a lot of freedom.
- His later films reflect the more liberal values of the 1960s.
- In some countries there is a more liberal attitude to euthanasia.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- having or relating to political and social beliefs that support individual freedom and rights, democracy and free enterprise (= businesses competing against each other with little government control)
- Some politicians want more liberal trade relations with Europe.
- liberal democracy
- liberal theories
- a liberal politician
- a challenge to the post-Cold-War liberal consensus
Extra ExamplesTopics Politicsc1- a broadly liberal policy programme
- a broadly liberal set of policies
- comparatively liberal in trade matters
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- comparatively
- relatively
- broadly
- …
- on
- following or supporting political policies that encourage social change and support the sharing of wealth more equally
- Even in famously liberal New York her views were considered too radical.
- Liberal and conservative pundits alike predicted disaster for the campaign.
Extra ExamplesTopics Politicsc1- The media was accused by right-wing commentators of a liberal bias.
- He accused them of espousing liberal ideas from the left of the party.
- Liberalconnected with the British Liberal Party in the past, or a Liberal Party in another country
- liberal (with something) generous; given in large amounts synonym lavish
- She is very liberal with her money.
- I think Sam is too liberal with his criticism (= he criticizes people too much).
- Divorced fathers should have liberal access to their children.
- We ate cake with liberal amounts of whipped cream.
- She's very liberal with her advice!
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- become
- fairly
- very
- with
- a liberal education is about increasing somebody’s general knowledge and experience rather than particular skills
- a liberal education
- not completely accurate or exact synonym free
- a liberal translation of the text
- a liberal interpretation of the law
respecting other opinions
politics
generous
education
not exact
Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from Latin liberalis, from liber ‘free (man)’. The original sense was ‘suitable for a free man’, hence ‘suitable for a gentleman’ (one not tied to a trade), surviving in liberal arts. Another early sense ‘generous’ (compare with sense (4)) gave rise to an obsolete meaning ‘free from restraint’, leading to sense (1) (late 18th cent.).
Check pronunciation:
liberal