Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state.
- n. One who believes in free will.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Of or pertaining to liberty, or to the doctrine of the freedom of the will (especially in an extreme form), as opposed to the doctrine of necessity; advocating the doctrine of free will: opposed to necessitarian.
- n. One who maintains the doctrine of the freedom of the will (especially in an extreme form): opposed to necessitarian.
Wiktionary
- n. One who advocates liberty either generally or on a specific issue, e.g. "civil libertarian" (in favour of civil liberties).
- n. A believer in a political doctrine that emphasizes individual liberty and a lack of governmental regulation and oversight both in matters of the economy ('free market') and in personal behavior where no one's rights are being violated or threatened. Also 'classical liberal', akin to 'anarcho-capitalist'.
- n. An anarchist, typically with socialist implications.
- n. In the philosophy branch of metaphysics, a believer in thinking beings' freedom to choose their own destiny, i.e. a believer in Free Will as opposed to those who believe the future is predetermined.
- n. a member of the Republican Party (especially a legislator) who emphasizes economic and Constitutional, rather than religious and personal, aspects of the party's platform.
- adj. Relating to the beliefs of libertarians, as in, "He has libertarian views". A relative tendency towards liberty, as in "libertarian capitalist".
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Pertaining to liberty, or to the doctrine of free will, as opposed to the doctrine of necessity.
- n. One who holds to the doctrine of free will.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an advocate of libertarianism
- n. someone who believes the doctrine of free will
Etymologies
- From liberty.
Examples
“I think the term libertarian encompasses both anarchists and so-called "minarchists.”
"Libertarians are incapable of being a racist, because racism is a collectivist idea."
“Is the term libertarian so broad that it includes anarchists?”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Antiwar Libertarians and the Reification of the State:
“I realize that simply saying “liberarian” is probably clearer both in your mind and to most of your readers, however: 1. Outside of the U.S. the term libertarian has generally not refered only to those with a right-wing conception of property rights, and left-libertarians are gaining greater prominence in the U.S. as well.”
“Don't bastardize the term libertarian by saying "I'm libertarian this, but not libertarian that ...”
“It will turn out to be Beauprez and Holtzman all over again ... bagzzaf wrote: Don't bastardize the term libertarian by saying "I'm libertarian this, but not libertarian that ...”
“Somebody that looks towards government solutions over free markets should not be using the term libertarian in describing themselves, simply because they feel it's cool to be for gay marriage and legalized marijuana as well ..”
“In the 1970s the "Libertarian" party hijacked the term libertarian to apply it to the theory that "if you minimized or eliminated that state, you end up with capitalism".”
Anarchist news dot org - News for anarchists and their friends
“Despite the term libertarian in it, do not be fooled by it because libertarian paternalism is not libertarian at all.”
“Politically, I'm what I call a "libertarian pragmatist.”
“Hymowitz concludes her response by criticizing what she calls the libertarian “tendency to view individual personal liberty as The Good that should swallow up all others.””
Lists
‘libertarian’ hasn't been added to any lists yet.
reesetee He can. Really. Dec 11, 2007
uselessness I can enlighten you further, if you like... ;-) Dec 11, 2007
singlepayernow Brav-o on the definition. (dripping with sarcasm) if that's not cascading, I don't know what is Dec 9, 2007