[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

liberal \lib"eral\ li^b"~eral, a. f. lib'eral, 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
see also:
deliver the liberal arts art liberal education liberal generous 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

liberal \lib"eral\, 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
see also:
whig 

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

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, 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, openhanded
     5: not literal; "a loose interpretation of what she had been
        told"; "a free translation of the poem" syn: free, loose
     n 1: a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and
          reform and the protection of civil liberties syn: progressive
          ant: conservative
     2: a person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and
        self-regulating markets
see also:
broad large-minded tolerant conservative big bighearted 
bounteous bountiful freehanded handsome giving 
openhanded free loose progressive 

[4] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

207 moby thesaurus words for "liberal":
   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

[5] : U.S. Gazetteer (1990)

liberal, ks city, fips 39825
  location: 37.04472 n, 100.93553 w
  population 1990: 16573 6663 housing units
  area: 24.6 sq km land, 0.0 sq km water
  zip codes: 67901
liberal, mo city, fips 41906
  location: 37.55878 n, 94.51598 w
  population 1990: 684 339 housing units
  area: 2.1 sq km land, 0.0 sq km water
  zip codes: 64762

[6] : U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)

liberal, mo -- u.s. city in missouri
   population 2000:    779
   housing units 2000: 361
   land area 2000:     0.837014 sq. miles 2.167855 sq. km
   water area 2000:    0.006604 sq. miles 0.017103 sq. km
   total area 2000:    0.843618 sq. miles 2.184958 sq. km
   fips code:            41906
   located within:       missouri mo, fips 29
   location:             37.558860 n, 94.520546 w
   zip codes 1990:     64762
   note: some zip codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   headwords:
    liberal, mo
    liberal

[7] : U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)

liberal, ks -- u.s. city in kansas
   population 2000:    19666
   housing units 2000: 7014
   land area 2000:     11.058466 sq. miles 28.641294 sq. km
   water area 2000:    0.138334 sq. miles 0.358283 sq. km
   total area 2000:    11.196800 sq. miles 28.999577 sq. km
   fips code:            39825
   located within:       kansas ks, fips 20
   location:             37.043418 n, 100.928133 w
   zip codes 1990:     67901
   note: some zip codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   headwords:
    liberal, ks
    liberal

Liberal >> L Words
Liberal, definition of term: Liberal
liberal_pag1.html

Liberal Educati >> L Words
Liberal Educati, definition of term: Liberal Educati
liberal+educati_pag1.html

Liberal Arts >> L Words
Liberal Arts, definition of term: Liberal Arts
liberal+arts_pag1.html