1. (a.) 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.

2. (a.) Bestowing in a large and noble way, as a freeman; generous; bounteous; open-handed; as, a liberal giver.

3. (a.) 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.

4. (a.) 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.

5. (a.) Not narrow or contracted in mind; not selfish; enlarged in spirit; catholic.

6. (a.) Free to excess; regardless of law or moral restraint; licentious.

7. (a.) 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.

8. (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.

Gospel side abounding abundant advanced affluent all-sufficing amiable ample aplenty benevolent big big person bighearted bottomless bounteous bountiful broad broad-gauge person broad-minded cantorial side charitable chivalrous copious cordial counterclockwise diffuse disinterested dispassionate ecumenicist effuse eleemosynary elevated epidemic exalted exhaustless extensive extravagant exuberant fair far-embracing far-extending far-flung far-flying far-going far-ranging far-reaching fat fertile flexible flush forbearing free free lance free spirit free trader freehanded freehearted freethinker freethinking friendly full galore generous genial giving gracious great great of heart greathearted handsome hearty heroic high high-minded hospitable humanistic idealistic impartial in plenty in quantity independent indiscriminate individualist individualistic indulgent inexhaustible isolationist knightly larboard large large-scale largehearted latitudinarian lavish left left hand left of center left wing left-hand left-hand side left-wing left-winger left-wingish leftist lenient levorotatory liberalist liberalistic libertarian libertine lofty loose luxuriant magnanimous many maximal much mugwump munificent near near side neighborly neutral nigh noble noble-minded nonpartisan numerous on the left open open-handed open-minded openhanded openhearted opulent overflowing philanthropic plenitudinous plenteous plentiful plenty port port tack portside prevailing prevalent princely prodigal productive profuse profusive progressive progressivist progressivistic radical rampant receptive reformer reformist replete rich rife riotous rugged individualist running over sinister sinistral sinistrocerebral sinistrocular sinistrogyrate sinistrorse stintless sublime superabundant sweeping teeming third force third world tolerant unbigoted ungrudging unjaundiced unopinionated unprejudiced unselfish unsparing unstinted unstinting verso warm warmhearted wealthy welcoming welfare stater well-found well-furnished well-provided well-stocked wholesale wide wide-extended wide-extending wide-ranging wide-reaching wide-stretching widespread wrong side