Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Liberal \Lib"er*al\ (l[i^]b"[~e]r*al), a. [F. lib['e]ral, 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.

   2. Bestowing in a large and noble way, as a freeman;
      generous; bounteous; open-handed; as, a liberal giver. ``
      Liberal of praise.'' --Bacon.

            Infinitely good, and of his good As liberal and free
            as infinite.                          --Milton.

   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.

            His wealth doth warrant a liberal dower. --Shak.

   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.

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

   6. Free to excess; regardless of law or moral restraint;
      licentious. `` Most like a liberal villain.'' --Shak.

   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.

            I confess I see nothing liberal in this `` order of
            thoughts,'' as Hobbes elsewhere expresses it.
                                                  --Hazlitt.

   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.

   {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.

   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.

Liberal \Lib"er*al\, 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}.

Source : WordNet®

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}]

liberal
     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