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
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
Richard Cornuelle2
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
Alan Wolfe
the Libertarian party
Examples of libertarian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Civil libertarians contend that that the police department has been overly aggressive in dealing with the crowd.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 12 Feb. 2025
Yet things look rosy for the libertarians at this juncture, encouraging them to become even more ambitious.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Patel, in his demand for immediate reform of the deep state, can sound a bit like a nineteen-seventies civil libertarian.
—Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024
For much of the Ohio Senate primary, Vance trailed in the polls despite the largesse of Thiel, the explicitly pro-monopoly libertarian who poured $15 million into a super PAC supporting him.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for libertarian 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 12 Feb. 2025
Yet things look rosy for the libertarians at this juncture, encouraging them to become even more ambitious.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Patel, in his demand for immediate reform of the deep state, can sound a bit like a nineteen-seventies civil libertarian.
—Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024
For much of the Ohio Senate primary, Vance trailed in the polls despite the largesse of Thiel, the explicitly pro-monopoly libertarian who poured $15 million into a super PAC supporting him.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for libertarian
Dictionary Entries Near libertarian
Cite this Entry
“Libertarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/libertarian. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share