libertarian

Noun (1)

libertarian (plural libertarians)

1. One who advocates liberty, either generally or in relation to a specific issue.
   • civil libertarian
   • cultural libertarian

   Synonyms:

   eleutheromaniac

   Antonyms:

   antilibertarian, nonlibertarian

2. A believer in the freedom of thinking beings to choose their own destiny (the doctrine of free will) as opposed to those who believe the future is predetermined (the doctrine of necessity).
   • [W]here is the difference betvveen the Libertarian, vvho ſays that the mind chuſes the motive; and the Neceſſarian, vvho aſſerts that the motive determines the mind; if the volition be the neceſſary reſult of all the previous circumſtances?1789, [William Belsham], “Essay I. On Liberty and Necessity.”, in Essays, Philosophical, Historical, and Literary, London: […] C[harles] Dilly, […], →OCLC, page 11
3. (Ireland, UK) An antiauthoritarian believer in left-libertarianism, a political doctrine that stresses both individual freedom and social equality, and advocates shared ownership of natural resources.
   • [Gustav] Landauer's reorientation of anarchist theory and practice in the direction of idealist and völkisch thought was often incomprehensible to the more traditional libertarians, and in the period of the second Sozialist Landauer no longer felt entirely comfortable with the simple "anarchist"...1973, Eugene Lunn, “The Romantic as Socialist”, in Prophet of Community: The Romantic Socialism of Gustav Landauer, Berkeley; Los Angeles, Calif.; London: University of California Press, →ISBN, page...
   • While anarchism and socialist libertarians have a rich history of revolutionary thinkers ranging from Emma Goldman to George Orwell, the best-known socialist libertarian thinker of today is probably Noam Chomsky.2012, Jennifer D. Carlson, “Libertarianism”, in Wilbur R. Miller, editor, The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America: An Encyclopedia, Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, →ISBN, page...

   Antonyms:

   antilibertarian, nonlibertarian

4. (US) A believer in right-libertarianism, a political doctrine that emphasizes individual liberty and a lack of governmental intervention, oversight, and regulation, both in economic matters (that is, a belief in the free market) and in personal behaviour provided that no one's rights are threatened or violated.

   Antonyms:

   antilibertarian, nonlibertarian

5. (crosswording) An Araucarian.

Adjective (1)

libertarian (comparative more libertarian, superlative most libertarian)

1. Advocating liberty; also, having a relative tendency towards liberty.
   • He has libertarian views.
   • Libertarian paternalism is the view that, because the way options are presented to citizens affects what they choose, society should present options in a way that "nudges" our intuitive selves to make choices that are more consistent with what our more deliberative selves would have chosen if they...2012 January, Steven Sloman, “The Battle Between Intuition and Deliberation [review of Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) by Daniel Kahneman]”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, New Haven...

   Antonyms:

   antilibertarian, nonlibertarian

2. Relating to the doctrine of free will as opposed to the doctrine of necessity.

   Antonyms:

   necessitarian

3. Relating to, or advocating, libertarianism; also, relating to a political party supporting libertarianism.
   • a libertarian capitalist
   • For a long time, libertarian was interchangeable in France with anarchist but in recent years, its meaning has become more ambivalent. Some anarchists like David Guérin will call themselves ‘libertarian socialists’, partly to avoid the negative overtones still associated with anarchism, and partly...1991, Peter H[ugh] Marshall, “The Relevance of Anarchism”, in Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism, London: Harper Perennial, published 2008, →ISBN, part 7 (The Legacy of Anarchism), page...

   Antonyms:

   antilibertarian, nonlibertarian

4. (crosswording) Araucarian.

Noun (2) capitalized: Libertarian

UK/ˌlɪb.əˈtɛə.ɹɪ.ən/US/ˌlɪb.əɹˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/

Libertarian (plural Libertarians)

1. A member of a political party or movement that uses the term "Libertarian" in its name (e.g., the Libertarian Party of the United States); one who is likely to support policies that are libertarian.
   • Rather than immediately enter the convention – held in the back room of the restaurant – McAfee posted up outside, having his photograph taken with Libertarians and passersby, smoking cigarettes and acting up for the four-person film crew he had arrived with.2016 May 1, Adam Gabbatt, “Truth or fiction? John McAfee for the Libertarian party's presidential nominee”, in The Guardian
   • To many, it seemed that the Libertarians were a genuinely relevant third party in US politics, which is overwhelmingly dominated by Republicans and Democrats.2020 August 23, Adam Gabbatt, “The Libertarian party was up and coming in 2016. What happened?”, in The Guardian

Adjective (2) capitalized: Libertarian

UK/ˌlɪb.əˈtɛə.ɹɪ.ən/US/ˌlɪb.əɹˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/

Libertarian (not comparable)

1. Of, or pertaining to, a Libertarian Party.
   • The Libertarian vice-presidential candidate this November is an internet talkshow host who ran for office alongside a man wearing a boot on his head, and who has promised the electorate free ponies, “zombie power” and the killing of baby Hitler.2020 August 23, Adam Gabbatt, “The Libertarian party was up and coming in 2016. What happened?”, in The Guardian
   • The results also revealed a striking data point: Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen’s share of the vote in some of these states was higher than margins between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.2020 November 8, Victoria Bekiempis, “Was Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen a 'spoiler' for Trump?”, in The Guardian