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

I went through this learning experience way back when I was a libertarian youngster and I read “The Triumph of Politics” by President Ronald Reagan’s libertarian budget director, David Stockman.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

We were dressed in our rancho libertarian best: jeans, embroidered leather belts, pearl snap shirts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

As a libertarian economist, he is an admirer of Thatcher.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

There may be something similar with Judge Montgomery-Reeves: She worked closely with the Legal Aid Society’s Prisoners’ Rights project for several years, and I think that may have imparted a civil libertarian streak.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

Politically, they were conservative, closer to libertarian than liberal.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

Granola hippies have aligned with libertarians and suburban moms to battle the corporate interests of the agriculture and energy industries.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 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

It was organized by two tech-focused think tanks that said the topic is a rare source of agreement among libertarians, progressives, researchers and rival executives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 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