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

During the mid-20th century, traditionalists were suspicious of the potential harms of unchecked businesses, while libertarians saw excessive government encroachment as constraining the lives of Americans. —Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025

Many conservatives and libertarians have long believed that a smaller Medicaid program that covers fewer people would be a better Medicaid program. —Ryan Levi, NPR, 10 Feb. 2025

Civil libertarians have called the deportation effort one of the biggest assaults on free speech in decades. —Stephanie Saul, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Civil libertarians roundly denounced the use of a private, for-profit law firm, with ties to the oil industry, to go after the activist attorney. —Ron Kuby, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing libertarian

• anti-libertarian

Rhymes for libertarian

• antiquarian
• millenarian
• nonsectarian
• proletarian
• sanitarian
• trinitarian
• unitarian
• vegetarian
• veterinarian
• agrarian
• aquarian
• barbarian

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