civil libertarian
7
7.5
- noun
- /ˈsɪvəl ˌlɪbərˈtɛriən/
:
libertario civil
- The civil libertarian argued passionately for the right to free speech during the debate.
- civil libertarians say
Examples
-
In the years after 9/11, civil libertarians fought the worst infringements being pushed for and basically lost.
Blog text (6) -
On the other hand, he had to assuage the fears of civil libertarians across the political spectrum that those requests and others concerning immigration policy could trample individual rights.
Academic text (2001) -
That's something he says civil libertarians and Washington need to work out.
Academic text (2003) -
Here's what the civil libertarians and human rights activists are upset about:
Blog text (8) -
The civil libertarian community in Washington, D.C., has always been a relatively small, inbred scene where everyone knows everyone else.
Academic text (2003) -
Norman Redlich is a former New York University law dean with a reputation as a civil libertarian.
Academic text (1995) -
The announcement prompted howls of protest from civil libertarians and leaders of Arab-American organizations.
Academic text (2002) -
But many criminal defense lawyers and civil libertarians decry the practice, which they say is overly broad and seldom, if ever, truly voluntary.
Academic text (2004) -
Needless to say, civil libertarians have already shown how Bush's support for faith-based organizations (FBOs) violates the separation of church and state.
Academic text (2004) -
They're ecologists, leftist economists, civil libertarians, feminists, humanists, and other assorted outcasts.
Academic text (2009)
Synonyms
178
7.7
A person who wants people to have more freedom and very small government
A person who opposes strong government control and wants less government power
Antonyms
How Committed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a normal modifier + noun composition: 'civil' (concerning citizens or civil rights) modifies 'libertarian' (someone who favors minimal state and individual freedom), yielding a person who advocates civil liberties. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the meaning.
Etymology
Civil libertarian joins civil (about citizens' rights) and libertarian (a person who wants more personal freedom). The image is of someone standing up for people's freedom against government rules, so it means 'a person who works to protect people's rights and personal freedom'.