libertarian

noun

lib·​er·​tar·​i·​an ˌli-bər-ˈter-ē-ən How to pronounce libertarian (audio)
-ˈte-rē-
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
libertarian adjective
libertarianism noun

Examples of libertarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are no libertarians in financial panics. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2023 At the same time, some libertarians were unhappy to find that their vision of a sweeping health-freedom movement had been largely reduced to a single idea: resistance to vaccination. Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling, The New Republic, 28 Feb. 2023 But the board rejected as unjustified the more sweeping reform proposal that libertarians have long advocated: to require the government to obtain a court warrant before using Americans’ identifiers to search the repository. Charlie Savage, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2023 This consensus held despite criticism from libertarians and traditionalists. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 22 July 2023 These bans have raised widespread alarm among civil libertarians and provoked a lawsuit against a school board in Florida, brought by PEN America and the largest American publisher, Penguin Random House. A.o. Scott, New York Times, 21 June 2023 The wave was also fueled by surging interest in cryptocurrency, as Miami became seen as a nexus for libertarians and the newly rich. Rob Wile, NBC News, 25 July 2023 Populists and libertarians, critical of Bush-era interventions in the Middle East, are trying to push the Republican Party into a retrenchment. Michael Lucchese, Washington Examiner, 1 June 2023 Where many conservatives post-Trump have rethought issues such as foreign intervention and trade liberalization, Pence remains a George W. Bush-style hawk and an economic libertarian, right down to matters such as entitlement reform. T.a. Frank, Washington Post, 28 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'libertarian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of libertarian was in 1789

Dictionary Entries Near libertarian

Cite this Entry

“Libertarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/libertarian. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

libertarian

noun
lib·​er·​tar·​i·​an ˌlib-ər-ˈter-ē-ən How to pronounce libertarian (audio)
: a person who believes in liberty of thought and action
libertarian adjective
libertarianism noun

More from Merriam-Webster on libertarian

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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