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liberal

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective liberal contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of liberal are bountiful, generous, and munificent. While all these words mean "giving or given freely and unstintingly," liberal suggests openhandedness in the giver and largeness in the thing or amount given.

a teacher liberal with her praise

When could bountiful be used to replace liberal?

The words bountiful and liberal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bountiful suggests lavish, unremitting giving or providing.

children spoiled by bountiful presents

When is generous a more appropriate choice than liberal?

The synonyms generous and liberal are sometimes interchangeable, but generous stresses warmhearted readiness to give more than size or importance of the gift.

a generous offer of help

In what contexts can munificent take the place of liberal?

While the synonyms munificent and liberal are close in meaning, munificent suggests a scale of giving appropriate to lords or princes.

a munificent foundation grant

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of liberal
Adjective
City buildings in liberal Salt Lake City typically honor Pride Month each June by displaying flags that honor its large LGBTQ+ population. CBS News, 28 Mar. 2025 The current election pits former Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel, now a circuit court judge in conservative-leaning Waukesha County, against Susan Crawford, a judge in Dane County, the state’s liberal bastion. Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
The Supreme Court race will decide the balance of power in the state’s judicial system, where liberals hold a 4 to 3 majority. Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Mar. 2025 To uphold the best of this European tradition now will require more from liberals than just a defense of the old continent against the new. Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for liberal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liberal
Adjective
  • California voters further reversed progressive policies by passing Proposition 36, which enhances penalties for theft and drug offenses.
    Carson Becker, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Alon-Lee Green, the founding co-director of Standing Together, a progressive grassroots movement, told CNN that young people aren’t at fault for the extremist attitudes that are dividing wider Israeli society.
    Kara Fox, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Laigueglia Parts of the Riviera di Ponente, or Western Riviera, offer sandy beaches, one of the many attractions of the town of Laigueglia, whose seafront extends for a generous three kilometers.
    Catherine Sabino, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Doing this to one of our closest allies, one always generous in aiding our defense and that sacrificed lives fighting for us, is outrageous.
    Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio.
    Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2025
  • By structuring a sale through a charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT), business owners can reduce taxes, generate a lifetime income stream and ultimately leave a charitable legacy—while also ensuring their heirs receive an equivalent inheritance through life insurance.
    Jamie Farmer, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This vinyl record turntable works both angles: a vintage aesthetic with all the perks of a modern bluetooth speaker.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 27 Mar. 2025
  • In early January, work finally restarted at the New Mestalla stadium in Valencia and a modern, 70,074-seater ground is now slated to be completed by 2027.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The good news is that the mechanicals are robust, and those parts are plentiful, so apart from rust and the challenge of obtaining trim and pieces unique to the model (serious enthusiasts may want to buy a second Scorpion to cannibalize), these are really delightful cars.
    Robert Ross, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Replacements are plentiful but have done little to stunt the term’s rise.
    Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But land reform is so fundamental to how the current government took power that no citizen may portray it as anything other than a benevolent campaign that brought fairness and prosperity to China’s long-suffering farmers.
    Ian Johnson, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Analyzing the legendary unicorn tapestries hanging at the Met Cloisters in New York (augmented here by a gory new panel that depicts the suddenly fearsome animals disemboweling and impaling their aggressors), Ridley concludes that unicorns aren’t nearly as benevolent as most people think.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Ben Rice, another lefty, made Smith expendable as a DH option in Stanton’s absence.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Tesla was once a badge of pride for upwardly mobile, environmentally conscious lefties.
    Allison Morrow, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Lori Vallow Daybell, the mother convicted of killing her children in Idaho after joining a radical religious cult in 2018, is back in court, this time in Arizona, fighting murder conspiracy charges.
    Jessica Boehm, Axios, 1 Apr. 2025
  • In 1970, Santoro joined the radical Roman feminist group Rivolta Femminile (Women’s Revolt), founded that year by art critic and philosopher Carla Lonzi together with artist Carla Accardi and political journalist Elvira Banotti.
    Paola Ugolini, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Liberal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liberal. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.

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