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

Trump's tribulations with energy-efficiency and water-conservation standards echo those of libertarians and free-marketers who maintain that regulations often represent government overreach and restrict personal choice. —Bob Woods, CNBC, 29 June 2025

Read more Stephen Miller wages war on the GOP’s libertarians The Movement is a weekly newsletter tracking the influence and debates steering politics on the right. —Aris Folley, The Hill, 10 June 2025

Charles Koch, the billionaire industrialist and conservative megadonor, made a rare public appearance Thursday evening and called for libertarians to embrace their principles, in comments that seemed obliquely directed at a Republican Party taken over by President Trump. —Theodore Schleifer, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Massie sensed the lack of electoral pressure is adding to the willingness to cast the libertarians aside. —Emily Brooks, The Hill, 10 June 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