libertarian

noun

lib·​er·​tar·​i·​an ˌli-bər-ˈter-ē-ən 

-ˈte-rē-

plural libertarians

1

: an adherent or advocate of libertarianism

Libertarians take individual freedom as the paramount political value and understand coercion to be the antithesis of that freedom. While people can justifiably be forced to do certain things—most obviously, to refrain from infringing the liberty of others—they cannot be coerced to serve the good of other members of society, nor even their own personal good.

—Bas van der Vossen and Billy Christmas

… the one big thing the libertarians knew and could explain better than anyone else—that the invisible hand of the market is a more reliable organizer of the economic life of nations than the visible hand of the state …

—Richard Cornuelle

2

Libertarian plural Libertarians : a member or supporter of a political party supporting or promoting libertarianism

a registered Libertarian

libertarian adjective

or less commonly Libertarian

… the libertarian ideology and rhetoric associated with "school choice," opposition to gun control, and the right of business to be free from government regulation.

—Alan Wolfe

the Libertarian party

Examples of libertarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Open white nationalists and conspiracy theorists alongside mainstream libertarians and conservatives became online influencers, tapping into a countercultural appeal that worked in the new attention economy. —Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2024

On the right, libertarians have long asserted that unrestricted movement is essential to the proper functioning of a free market. —Alex Rivera, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024

What’s important is that libertarians are decidedly not against child rearing, healthcare, retirement savings, or any of the many things members of the left want, Harris is promising, or both. —John Tamny, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

This network of channels, which range from mainstream conservatives and libertarians to overt white nationalists, collaborated with each other, funneling viewers into increasingly extreme content streams. —Cecilia D'anastasio, WIRED, 9 Dec. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing libertarian

• anti-libertarian

Kids Definition

libertarian

noun

lib·​er·​tar·​i·​an ˌlib-ər-ˈter-ē-ən 

: a person who believes in liberty of thought and action

libertarian adjective

libertarianism

-ē-ə-ˌniz-əm 

noun