Liberal

Liberal is also the name of two towns in the United States: Liberal, Kansas and Liberal, Missouri.

The word liberal, like liberty, derives from the Latin liber ("free"). In religion and politics, to be liberal is to be tolerant or open-minded, to favour freedom over control. In other words, a liberal is someone who adheres to the ideology of liberalism.

In the United States, liberal is sometimes used as an antonym for Conservative or a synonym for left-wing. Here, it primarily refers to the New Deal variant of liberalism, emphasizing the positive role of the state. In most other countries, liberal may have quite an opposite meaning: for instance, in France a liberal is a right-wing or libertarian proponent of free markets.

Worldwide, there are many political parties that go by the name Liberal Party, but their ideological positions vary widely. For example, Australia's Liberal Party is generally characterised as following a conservative ideology, rather than a liberal one.

See also

• Types of liberalism: Political liberalism, Classical liberalism, New liberalism, Green liberalism
• Political spectrum: Liberalism, Progressivism, Libertarianism
• Political parties: Liberal International, Liberal Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Liberal Unionist Party
• Liberal theology, Liberal Judaism, Liberal Catholic Church
• Liberal healthcare system
• Liberal arts college
• List of liberal thinkers and leaders
• Limousine liberal