Result from Foreign Dictionaries (7 entries found)

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Liberal \Lib"er*al\ (l[i^]b"[~e]r*al), a. [F. lib['e]ral, L. liberalis, from liber free; perh. akin to libet, lubet, it pleases, E. lief. Cf. {Deliver}.] 1. Free by birth; hence, befitting a freeman or gentleman; refined; noble; independent; free; not servile or mean; as, a liberal ancestry; a liberal spirit; liberal arts or studies. " Liberal education." --Macaulay. " A liberal tongue." --Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Bestowing in a large and noble way, as a freeman; generous; bounteous; open-handed; as, a liberal giver. " Liberal of praise." --Bacon. [1913 Webster] Infinitely good, and of his good As liberal and free as infinite. --Milton. [1913 Webster] 3. Bestowed in a large way; hence, more than sufficient; abundant; bountiful; ample; profuse; as, a liberal gift; a liberal discharge of matter or of water. [1913 Webster] His wealth doth warrant a liberal dower. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 4. Not strict or rigorous; not confined or restricted to the literal sense; free; as, a liberal translation of a classic, or a liberal construction of law or of language. [1913 Webster] 5. Not narrow or contracted in mind; not selfish; enlarged in spirit; catholic. [1913 Webster] 6. Free to excess; regardless of law or moral restraint; licentious. " Most like a liberal villain." --Shak. [1913 Webster] 7. Not bound by orthodox tenets or established forms in political or religious philosophy; independent in opinion; not conservative; friendly to great freedom in the constitution or administration of government; having tendency toward democratic or republican, as distinguished from monarchical or aristocratic, forms; as, liberal thinkers; liberal Christians; the Liberal party. [1913 Webster] I confess I see nothing liberal in this " order of thoughts," as Hobbes elsewhere expresses it. --Hazlitt. [1913 Webster] Note: Liberal has of, sometimes with, before the thing bestowed, in before a word signifying action, and to before a person or object on which anything is bestowed; as, to be liberal of praise or censure; liberal with money; liberal in giving; liberal to the poor. [1913 Webster] {The liberal arts}. See under {Art}. {Liberal education}, education that enlarges and disciplines the mind and makes it master of its own powers, irrespective of the particular business or profession one may follow. [1913 Webster] Syn: Generous; bountiful; munificent; beneficent; ample; large; profuse; free. Usage: {Liberal}, {Generous}. Liberal is freeborn, and generous is highborn. The former is opposed to the ordinary feelings of a servile state, and implies largeness of spirit in giving, judging, acting, etc. The latter expresses that nobleness of soul which is peculiarly appropriate to those of high rank, -- a spirit that goes out of self, and finds its enjoyment in consulting the feelings and happiness of others. Generosity is measured by the extent of the sacrifices it makes; liberality, by the warmth of feeling which it manifests. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Liberal \Lib"er*al\, n. One who favors greater freedom in political or religious matters; an opponent of the established systems; a reformer; in English politics, a member of the Liberal party, so called. Cf. {Whig}. [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: liberal adj 1: showing or characterized by broad-mindedness; "a broad political stance"; "generous and broad sympathies"; "a liberal newspaper"; "tolerant of his opponent's opinions" [syn: {broad}, {large-minded}, {liberal}, {tolerant}] 2: having political or social views favoring reform and progress 3: tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition [ant: {conservative}] 4: 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" [syn: {big}, {bighearted}, {bounteous}, {bountiful}, {freehanded}, {handsome}, {giving}, {liberal}, {openhanded}] 5: not literal; "a loose interpretation of what she had been told"; "a free translation of the poem" [syn: {free}, {loose}, {liberal}] n 1: a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties [syn: {liberal}, {liberalist}, {progressive}] [ant: {conservative}, {conservativist}] 2: a person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets From Portuguese-English FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.1 [fd-por-eng]: liberal 1. liberal 2. generous From Swedish-English FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.1 [fd-swe-eng]: liberal liberal From German-English FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.3.3 [fd-deu-eng]: liberal /liːbəraːl/ liberally From Danish-English FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.2.1 [fd-dan-eng]: liberal liberal