Word family noun liberal liberalism liberalization adjective liberal verb liberalize adverb liberally
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishliberallib‧e‧ral1 /ˈlɪbərəl/ ●○○ AWL adjective 1 STRICTwilling to understand and respect other people’s ideas, opinions, and feelings a more liberal attitude towards sexuality I had quite liberal parents.2 PPsupporting or allowing gradual political and social changes OPP conservative a more liberal policy on issues of crime and punishment3 allowing people or organizations a lot of political or economic freedomliberal state/society/democracy etc4 LOT/LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNTgenerous or given in large amounts a liberal supply of drinksliberal with If only they were as liberal with their cash. → liberally5 EXACTnot exact a liberal interpretation of the original play6 → liberal educationExamples from the Corpus
liberal• My parents are broadminded, liberal and understanding to the extent that I probably could never match.• While the Cold War period was dominated by realism, liberal approaches continued to be developed.• Pius remained implacably opposed to the assumptions of liberal bourgeois civilization.• Some liberal Democrats want to introduce stricter price controls.• liberal immigration policies• a liberal interpretation of the original play• Last year, Working Assets distributed $ 2. 15 million to 36 liberal non-profits, as earmarked by individual customers.• I was fortunate enough to have very liberal parents.• Firmly distanced from the levers of power, the liberal parties were unable to carry conviction among their potential constituents.• In order to reveal these foundations we must therefore examine the main tenets of conservative and liberal political thought.• In the 1840s, President Herrera promoted a policy of gradual liberal reform in Mexico.• The Monopolies Commission took the line that the benefits of a more liberal regime outweighed any drawbacks.• In a liberal society you may have the right to express your own beliefs, but not necessarily to cause offence to other people.• If its people called you a liberal subversive in the pay of effete capitalist Western powers it was regarded as fair comment.• a liberal view of homosexuality• He has quite liberal views for someone of his generation.liberal state/society/democracy etc• Britain is at a nadir in its history as a liberal democracy.• So came what I am calling the liberal state.• Synods were not like the parliaments of liberal democracies.• These rights to additional forms of participation and opposition in the political process seem an essential element of a liberal democracy.• In any liberal democracy a mobilization of bias is cumulatively created by the outcomes of political and social conflicts.• Yet in a liberal democracy, such a declaration can not easily be made; indeed the opposite must be proclaimed.• Classical elite theorists had sought to show that liberal democracy was a utopian ideal incapable of realization.liberal interpretation• These conclusions have led revisionists to cast doubt on three of the assumptions underlying the liberal interpretation.• The middle classes According to the liberal interpretation, as we have seen, such liberalization was under way.• It is notable too that this liberal interpretation is proposed by the jurist, and merely adopted from him by the emperor.• The traditional liberal interpretation is rooted in an approach to history fundamentally at odds with that of Soviet historiography.• Yet the liberal interpretation of divorce laws appears to have led to the alarming trends already observed.• This, of course, relies on a liberal interpretation of the coins from Barton Farm. liberalliberal2 ●○○ AWL noun [countable] PPsomeone with liberal opinions or principles OPP conservativeExamples from the Corpus
liberal• The beauty of this plan is that it would appeal to both conservatives and liberals.• The number of committed liberals among the middle-ranking landowners who dominated the zemstvos was not large.• That decision did not win her much support from liberals and moderates.• Most liberals, like other feminists, believe that schools are partly responsible for instilling sexist attitudes into children.• Failure to correct them only fuels the right-wing demands that obliterate the very protections that liberals cherish.• You know, I feel much closer to Meany, whom I despise, than a lot of the liberals.• The liberals were democrats, while the afrancesados believed in reform from above.LiberalLiberal noun [countable] PPGsomeone who supports or belongs to the former Liberal Party in Britain or the Liberal Party in Canada —Liberal adjectiveExamples from the Corpus
Liberal• In New Jersey last week, she barely pulled it off. Liberals were not there for her.• A minority or Liberals attacked the principle of state welfare, arguing that the state should rather encourage self-help and philanthropy.• A year ago, the Liberals led by 21 points in the opinion polls.• In the country as a whole, the Conservatives won 8,664,000 votes, the Labour Party 8,360,000 and the Liberals 5,300,000.• It seemed to be in permanent decline, possibly for some of the same reasons as the Liberals after 1918.• In cabinet Unionists pressed the Liberals steadily towards a full policy of conscription, which was finally introduced in May.• When the Liberals returned to power in 1892, it was generally assumed that Ellis would receive government office.• And the swing from Tory to Liberal Democrat was highest where turnout was highest.From Longman Business Dictionaryliberallib‧e‧ral /ˈlɪbərəl/ adjective1believing that people should be free to behave as they like, and supporting gradual political and social changeShe has liberal views on such issues as equal education and job opportunities for black and white.the battle between conservative and liberal opinion —liberal noun [countable]He remains a social liberal on gay rights. —liberalism noun [uncountable]He combined social liberalism with a determination to keep firm control of government spending.2ECONOMICS supporting the idea that most economic activity should be run by private business rather than by the governmentBecause of the spread of liberal economic ideas, about three to four billion people will be returning to the market economy. —liberal noun [countable]Economic liberals believe that low taxation encourages wealth creation. —liberalism noun [uncountable]The goal of nineteenth-century economic liberalism was based on the individual pursuit of self-interest.3liberal rules, systems etc are generous to the people they affectthe state’s new family-leave law, one of the most liberal in the nation4given in large amountsa liberal supply of taxpayers’ moneyOrigin liberal1 (1300-1400) Old French Latin liberalis, from liber; → LIBERTY 