libertarian

noun lib·er·tar·i·an \ ˌli-bər-ˈter-ē-ən , -ˈte-rē- \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Definition of libertarian

1 : an advocate of the doctrine of free will

2 a : 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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libertarian

adjective

—

libertarianism

play \ˌli-bər-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm, -ˈte-rē-\ noun

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Recent Examples of libertarian from the Web

Having already culled the list of potential nominees, Leo is now focusing on rallying conservatives and libertarians around the eventual pick.

— noah bierman, latimes.com, "Trump's court appointments have been the smoothest part of his presidency — because he's had some help," 3 July 2018
Free-market ideology was dominant among the politicians of the day, Clintonian New Democrats and Gingrichian libertarians alike.

— micah l. sifry, The New Republic, "Escape From Facebookistan," 21 May 2018
Guaranteed income, reconceived as basic income, is gaining support across the spectrum, from libertarians to labor leaders.

— nathan heller, The New Yorker, "Who Really Stands to Win from Universal Basic Income?," 24 Mar. 2014
When Coinbase launched, bitcoin was little known outside a small circle of enthusiasts, many of them libertarians inspired by the idea of a currency outside government control.

— alexander osipovich, WSJ, "Can the Biggest U.S. Bitcoin Exchange Win Over Wall Street?," 27 May 2018
The ruling horrified civil libertarians at the time and has been likened by modern legal historians to the Dred Scott decision that upheld slavery.

— ray locker, USA TODAY, "Supreme Court overrules Korematsu case that upheld World War II Japanese American incarceration," 26 June 2018
Freitas has the backing of some high-profile libertarians, like Sens.

— dylan scott, Vox, "If Democrats want to retake the House, they need to win big in Virginia," 11 June 2018
Jesse Norman is about to publish a book arguing that Adam Smith was a much more complicated thinker than many libertarians, including the Adam Smith Institute, believe.

— The Economist, "Good capitalism v bad capitalism," 7 June 2018
Civil libertarians said the practice raises legal and privacy concerns for the millions of people who submit their DNA to such sites to discover their heritage.

— NBC News, "DNA used in hunt for Golden State Killer previously led to wrong man," 28 Apr. 2018

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.

First Known Use of libertarian

1789

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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LIBERTARIAN Defined for English Language Learners

libertarian

noun

Definition of libertarian for English Language Learners

: a person who believes that people should be allowed to do and say what they want without any interference from the government

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