Jeffersonian

American  

[jef-er-soh-nee-uhn] / ˌdʒɛf ərˈsoʊ ni ən /

adjective

1. pertaining to or advocating the political principles and doctrines of Thomas Thomas Jefferson, especially those stressing minimum control by the central government, the inalienable rights of the individual, and the superiority of an agrarian economy and rural society.

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noun

1. a supporter of Thomas Jefferson or Jeffersonianism.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pro-Jeffersonian
  adjective
• anti-Jeffersonian
  adjective
• Jeffersonianism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Jeffersonian

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800; Jefferson + -ian

Compare meaning

How does jeffersonian compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Hamiltonian vs. Jeffersonian

Example Sentences

Leaning heavily on Jeffersonian rhetoric, the Browns called on the “oppressed” populace to rise and assert “their natural rights” as “citizens of a free republic.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

Instead, I would frame the Black liberal tradition in opposition to a pro-slavery or even a Jeffersonian liberal tradition that patently made no space for Black people and women.

From Salon • Nov. 10, 2024

“You can actually be Jeffersonian and have a career: Go serve your city, go serve your state, go serve your country and then go back to private life,” Caruso said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2022

In nearby Byesville, Ohio, village administrator Brennan Dudley said that even though their council meetings are public, “we count on the Jeffersonian to provide that much information” to the community.

From Washington Post • Aug. 28, 2022

Each wheel was to be separate yet united, in accordance with the young nation’s federalism, as well as classically symmetrical, in accordance with Jeffersonian aesthetics.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides