Jeffersonian

[ jef-er-soh-nee-uhn ]

adjective

1. pertaining to or advocating the political principles and doctrines of Thomas Thomas Jefferson, especially those stressing minimum control by the central government, the inalienable rights of the individual, and the superiority of an agrarian economy and rural society.

noun

1. a supporter of Thomas Jefferson or Jeffersonianism.

Other Words From

• an·ti-Jef·fer·so·ni·an adjective noun
• Jef·fer·so·ni·an·ism noun
• pro-Jef·fer·so·ni·an adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jeffersonian¹

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800; Jefferson + -ian

Example Sentences

Instead, I would frame the Black liberal tradition in opposition to a pro-slavery or even a Jeffersonian liberal tradition that patently made no space for Black people and women.

From Salon

From the Jeffersonian perspective, it was anathema to argue that government mail should not move to honor religious sensibilities, so they lost that battle.

From Salon

“That is a very Jeffersonian democracy approach on siting and permitting,” said Silverman, a former top official at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

From Seattle Times

Federalists, typified by Manhattanite Alexander Hamilton, desired a restless, churning urban nation and opposed the Jeffersonian vision of a republic of rural yeomen.

From Washington Post

To take a much older example: In the early United States, the egalitarian Jeffersonians backed the French Revolution, while the more-conservative Federalists feared and opposed it.

From Washington Post