libertarian

lib·er·tar·i·an | \ ˌli-bər-ˈter-ē-ən

How to pronounce libertarian (audio)

, -ˈte-rē- \

Definition of libertarian

1 : an advocate of the doctrine of free will

2a : a person who upholds the principles of individual liberty especially of thought and action

b capitalized : a member of a political party advocating libertarian principles

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Examples of libertarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And a proposal to use more intrusive mobile phone location data to track the virus failed to pass in the German parliament last month after protests from civil libertarians. — Hadas Gold, CNN, "Wary Germans hate sharing their data. Will they use a Covid-19 tracking app?," 25 Apr. 2020 Civil libertarians have objected to the fact that the law allows guns to be removed for up to 21 days before a court hears the testimony from the person losing the firearms. — Los Angeles Times, "California could expand use of gun violence restraining orders under bill sent to governor," 9 Sep. 2019 But the impulses animating the right’s coronavirus backlash are being refracted strangely—and in ways that aren’t necessarily promising for libertarians. — Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, "Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Death Cult Takes to the Streets," 18 Apr. 2020 There are few libertarians to be found in a pandemic. — Michael Taylor, ExpressNews.com, "Taylor: In this COVID-19 economy, everyone in Washington leans left," 3 Apr. 2020 The modern originalist movement, like many of the movements embraced by today’s conservatives and libertarians, came out of the process of intellectual ferment on the right between the mid 1950s and the mid 1980s. — Dan Mclaughlin, National Review, "‘Common-Good Constitutionalism’ Is No Alternative to Originalism," 2 Apr. 2020 Civil libertarians warned that its use by the George W. Bush administration in the war on terror was a dangerous encroachment on constitutional rights, but our alarm was brushed aside with insistence that only terrorists had any reason to worry. — Bonnie Kristian, TheWeek, "Beware the emergency power grab," 23 Mar. 2020 Yet, successful prosecutions of police officers are rare, civil libertarians and police brutality specialists say. — Clarence Page, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Courtroom hugs after Amber Guyger was sentenced in shooting of Botham Jean test the limits of forgiveness," 4 Oct. 2019 Still, there is a legitimate question here: How would libertarians handle a pandemic? — Bonnie Kristian, TheWeek, "What libertarians would do in response to coronavirus," 13 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'libertarian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

29 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Libertarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/libertarian. Accessed 10 Jul. 2020.

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