liberals

liberals — 形容詞

1. Willing to accept ways of thinking, behaving, or living that differ from your ow

1.形容詞B2
釋義

寬容的

尊重不同信念或生活方式的

Willing to accept ways of thinking, behaving, or living that differ from your own customs or beliefs.

例句

Chen's parents were liberal enough to let him study art instead of medicine.

Chen 的父母十分開明，願意讓他學藝術而不是醫學。

liberal enough to + infinitive

The school has a liberal policy on what students may wear to class.

這所學校對學生的穿著規定相當寬鬆。

同義詞
  • open-minded

    more informal, focuses on willingness to consider new ideas

  • tolerant

    emphasises patience toward views you may not share

  • broad-minded

    slightly old-fashioned but still common

反義詞
  • narrow-minded

    unwilling to accept different views or lifestyles

  • intolerant

    actively rejecting or disapproving of differences

文法句型

liberal + about/in + noun phrase

用法筆記

Often describes a society, policy, or person that does not judge or restrict others based on their choices.

常見錯誤

❌My boss is very liberal, he never gives us bonuses.
✅My boss is very generous, he gives us large bonuses.
💡For giving freely, use generous; liberal in this sense is about accepting differences, not about money.

2. Holding the political view that individuals should have wide personal freedoms a

2.形容詞B2
釋義

進步的

主張個人自由與社會改革的政治立場

Holding the political view that individuals should have wide personal freedoms and that society should move toward greater fairness through gradual reform.

例句

Zahra voted for the liberal candidate who promised better public healthcare.

Zahra 把票投給了那位承諾改善公共醫療的自由派候選人。

The senator's liberal views on tax reform attracted many first-time voters.

這位參議員在稅制改革上的進步觀點吸引了許多首投族。

liberal views on + topic

同義詞
  • progressive

    more active tone, emphasises forward-moving reform

  • left-leaning

    describes position on the political spectrum

  • socially liberal

    specifies beliefs about personal freedoms versus economic ones

反義詞
  • conservative

    favours traditional values and slower change

  • reactionary

    wants to return to earlier social or political arrangements

文法句型

liberal + noun phrase (views/policies/government)

用法筆記

Used in political contexts. In many countries, liberal is contrasted with conservative. Distinguish from sense 1 (TOLERANT / OPEN-MINDED), which describes personal attitudes rather than political affiliation.

常見錯誤

❌The liberal restaurant served huge portions of pasta.
✅The generous restaurant served huge portions of pasta.
💡Liberal in the generous sense (adj/4) refers to quantity; in political contexts it refers to a specific set of beliefs.

3. Based on the principle that businesses and trade should face minimal government

3.形容詞C1
釋義

自由市場的

主張經濟自由、少管制的

Based on the principle that businesses and trade should face minimal government control, few regulations, and low tax rates.

例句

The government adopted liberal economic policies to attract foreign investors.

政府採取了自由市場的經濟政策來吸引外國投資。

liberal economic policies

Oluwaseun argued for a more liberal approach to cross-border trade.

Oluwaseun 主張在跨境貿易上採取更自由的作法。

同義詞
  • free-market

    more specific than liberal, used almost exclusively for economics

  • laissez-faire

    French loan phrase; strongly signals minimal government intervention

  • deregulatory

    focuses on removing existing rules rather than preventing new ones

反義詞
  • protectionist

    favours tariffs and rules to shield domestic businesses

  • regulated

    describes an economy with many government controls

文法句型

liberal + noun phrase (economy/trade/market)

用法筆記

Predominantly used in formal writing about economics. In some contexts this sense conflicts with sense 2 (PROGRESSIVE), because economic liberals want fewer regulations while progressive liberals often want more regulations for fairness. Be careful which sense your reader expects.

常見錯誤

❌The liberal university encouraged free thinking among students.
✅The liberal-minded university encouraged free thinking among students.
💡The word liberal without context is ambiguous; liberal by itself usually means tolerant (adj/1), not economic free-market.

4. Given or giving freely in large quantity; significantly more than the usual or e

4.形容詞B2
釋義

豐厚的；慷慨的

大量給予的；比平常更多的

Given or giving freely in large quantity; significantly more than the usual or expected amount.

例句

The charity received a liberal donation from an anonymous supporter.

這家慈善機構收到了一位匿名支持者的大筆捐款。

Yuki's grandmother always served liberal portions of rice and stir-fried greens.

Yuki 的奶奶總是給大家盛上滿滿的米飯和炒青菜。

liberal portions of + food

同義詞
  • generous

    more common for people and amounts; natural in everyday speech

  • ample

    describes the amount itself rather than the act of giving

  • abundant

    more formal; emphasises plentiful supply

反義詞
  • meagre

    very small in amount; barely enough

  • stingy

    deliberately unwilling to give much; negative tone

文法句型

liberal + noun (portion/amount/donation)

用法筆記

Describes quantities (portions, amounts, helpings) rather than personal generosity. For a generous person, use generous rather than liberal in modern English.

常見錯誤

❌He is a very liberal man who always shares his lunch.
✅He is a very generous man who always shares his lunch.
💡Liberal in the quantity sense describes the amount given, not the character of the giver.

5. Not bound strictly by the exact wording, rules, or details; allowing flexibility

5.形容詞C1
釋義

不拘泥的；寬鬆的

不嚴格按照字面或規則的

Not bound strictly by the exact wording, rules, or details; allowing flexibility in how something is understood or applied.

例句

The translator took a liberal approach to the old poem's meaning.

翻譯者對這首古詩的意思採取了不拘泥於字面的處理方式。

took a liberal approach to + noun

Jing gave a liberal reading of the rules to avoid punishing anyone.

Jing 對規則做了寬鬆的解讀，以免處罰任何人。

liberal reading of the rules

同義詞
  • loose

    more informal; can sound slightly negative

  • flexible

    neutral tone; emphasises adaptability

  • non-literal

    describes interpretations that go beyond the exact words

反義詞
  • strict

    keeping closely to the exact rules or wording

  • literal

    following the exact meaning of words without deviation

  • rigid

    unwilling to change or adapt; often negative

文法句型

liberal + noun (interpretation/reading/translation)

用法筆記

Frequently appears in legal or academic writing about how documents, laws, or texts are understood. The opposite sense is strict or literal.

常見錯誤

❌She gave a liberal donation of time to the project.
✅She gave a generous donation of time to the project.
💡For amounts of time or effort, generous is the natural choice; liberal in this sense relates to interpretation, not quantity.

liberals — 名詞