Liberal Meaning
/ˈlɪb.(ə.)ɹəl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjPertaining to those arts and sciences the study of which is considered to provide general knowledge, as opposed to vocational/occupational, technical or mechanical training.
adjGenerous; permitting liberty; willing to give unsparingly.
Sentence Examples
Mr. White is a liberal politician.
Take a liberal view of young people.
He liked to think of himself as a liberal.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The wealthy donor made a ____ donation to the charity, giving away over half of his fortune.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new principal has very ____ views on education and encourages students to explore their own interests.
Word Origin & History
The adjective is from Old French liberal, from Latin līberālis (“befitting a freeman”), from līber (“free”); it is attested since the 14th century. The noun is first attested in the 1800s.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Indeed, the Government has been very liberal in the expenditure of public money"
— 1899, J. M. Baltimore, “Pacific Coast Light Service”, in Overland Monthly, volume 33:
"When he shows improvement she is liberal with her praise and then moves on to the next set of skills to be learnt."
— 2005, John Gardner, Assessment and Learning, →ISBN, page 50:
"Queen Isabella was already being called Santa Isabella by many of her subjects because she was liberal with her alms."
— 2007, Helena Page Schrader, The English Templar, →ISBN, page 309:
"Was it because the believers were so liberal with their possessions that God was so liberal with his grace?"
— 2010, Simon Guillebaud, More Than Conquerors: A Call to Radical Discipleship, →ISBN, page 142:
"Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet."
— 2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The wealthy donor made a ____ donation to the charity, giving away over half of his fortune.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new principal has very ____ views on education and encourages students to explore their own interests.