libertarian

American  

[lib-er-tair-ee-uhn] / ˌlɪb ərˈtɛər i ən /

noun

• libertarians
  plural

1. a follower of a political philosophy or party that advocates individual liberty achieved by limiting the power of a central government.

   Whether left- or right-leaning, libertarians generally oppose taxation and support free trade.

2. a person who advocates liberty, especially with regard to thought or conduct.

3. a person who maintains the doctrine of free will (distinguished from necessitarian).

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adjective

1. of or relating to a political philosophy or party that advocates individual liberty achieved by limiting the power of a central government.

   libertarian views;

   a libertarian economist.

2. advocating or conforming to the principles of liberty.

3. maintaining the doctrine of free will.

libertarian British  

/ ˌlɪbəˈtɛərɪən /

noun

1. a believer in freedom of thought, expression, etc

2. philosophy a believer in the doctrine of free will Compare determinism

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a libertarian

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• libertarianism
  noun
• antilibertarian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• libertarians
  plural

Etymology

Origin of libertarian

First recorded in 1780–90; libert(y) + -arian

Explanation

Someone who is a libertarian advocates the importance of the individual over government control — libertarians believe strongly in freedom. A libertarian holds onto the idea of a person's free will and individualism, with the word based on the Latin root liber, meaning “free.” In the U.S., libertarians can be to the left or the right of the political spectrum. A libertarian believes that someone should make his or her own decisions rather than rely on a political party line. If you think the government should keep its nose out of your business, then you might be a libertarian.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

libertarian libertarians

Breaking that link would “fundamentally change the nature of the program,” said Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

The government of libertarian President Javier Milei aims to use the bill to provide a legal framework that attracts investment.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

I suspect that experience gave her a very strong civil libertarian instinct that manifests here as a deep skepticism towards state power to criminalize gun possession.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

An unlikely coalition of supporters has lined up, from the libertarian Cato Institute to the Legal Aid Society to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Jesse was nearly indefinable politically, but libertarian probably came closest.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

The movement has support on both the political left and right, notably from libertarians.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

Civil libertarians say the use of this tracking data raises the specter of mass surveillance on innocent people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

And he also drew ardent libertarians like Derek Wheeler, a longtime supporter from Indiana who doesn’t vote in federal elections.

From Slate ● May 19, 2026

Civil libertarians have favored it, including when Cook led a fight against the FBI, which wanted Apple to build digital backdoors into iPhones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

Civil libertarians see it as a violation of our Fourth Amendment freedom from “unreasonable search”; most jobholders and applicants find it simply embarrassing.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Related Words

• autonomous
• constitutional
• egalitarian
• free
• orderly
• popular