Meaning

• One with liberal views, supporting individual liberty (see Wikipedia's article on Liberalism).

• Someone left-wing; one with a left-wing ideology.

• A supporter of any of several liberal parties.

• One who favors individual voting rights, human and civil rights, and laissez-faire markets (also called "classical liberal"; compare libertarian).

Meaning

• (now rare outside set phrases) Pertaining to those arts and sciences the study of which is considered to provide general knowledge, as opposed to vocational/occupational, technical or mechanical training.

  "1983, David Leslie Wagner, The Seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages"

• Generous; willing to give unsparingly.

  "He was liberal with his compliments."

• Ample, abundant; generous in quantity.

  "Add a liberal sprinkling of salt."

• Unrestrained, licentious.

• Widely open to new ideas, willing to depart from established opinions or conventions; permissive.

  "Her parents had liberal ideas about child-rearing."

• Open to political or social changes and reforms associated with either classical or modern liberalism.