conservative
disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
cautiously moderate or purposefully low: a conservative estimate.
traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness: conservative suit.
(often initial capital letter) of or relating to the Conservative party.
(initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of Conservative Jews or Conservative Judaism.
having the power or tendency to conserve or preserve.
Mathematics. (of a vector or vector function) having curl equal to zero; irrotational; lamellar.
a person who is conservative in principles, actions, habits, etc.
a supporter of conservative political policies.
(initial capital letter) a member of a conservative political party, especially the Conservative party in Great Britain.
a preservative.
Origin of conservative
1Other words from conservative
- con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb
- con·serv·a·tive·ness, noun
- an·ti·con·serv·a·tive, adjective, noun
- an·ti·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb
- an·ti·con·serv·a·tive·ness, noun
- half-con·serv·a·tive, adjective
- half-con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb
- hy·per·con·serv·a·tive, adjective, noun
- hy·per·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb
- hy·per·con·serv·a·tive·ness, noun
- non·con·ser·va·tive, adjective, noun
- o·ver·con·serv·a·tive, adjective
- o·ver·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb
- o·ver·con·serv·a·tive·ness, noun
- pseu·do·con·serv·a·tive, adjective
- pseu·do·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb
- qua·si-con·serv·a·tive, adjective
- qua·si-con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb
- sem·i·con·serv·a·tive, adjective
- sem·i·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb
- su·per·con·serv·a·tive, adjective
- su·per·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb
- su·per·con·serv·a·tive·ness, noun
- un·con·serv·a·tive, adjective
- un·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb
- un·con·serv·a·tive·ness, noun
Words Nearby conservative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use conservative in a sentence
Plus the GOP electorate has become more conservative since 2008.
That Huckabee is mentioned in the same sentence with other aspiring conservative governors, especially Bobby Jindal, is laughable.
A hundred ultra-wealthy liberal and conservative donors have taken over the political system.
A colleague overheard two conservative Mass. lawmakers talking about what “the gays” could do.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality | E.J. Graff | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe disbelief was evident in article after article, with one conservative site using “President Pinocchio” in its headline.
The conservative senate sent a deputation to Bonaparte, expressing their desire that he would accept the title of emperor.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellThe man called Shiv was driving Delancy's get-away car at a conservative pace so as not to excite suspicion.
Who was it but its founder, that led the conservative party through these successive stages of triumph?
It was one of the conservative sheets, comic-less, reactionary Republican to the core.
In politics he took the conservative side, but as regards music he was probably the most advanced radical in Moscow.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste Tchaikovsky
British Dictionary definitions for conservative (1 of 2)
/ (kənˈsɜːvətɪv) /
favouring the preservation of established customs, values, etc, and opposing innovation
of, characteristic of, or relating to conservatism
tending to be moderate or cautious: a conservative estimate
conventional in style or type: a conservative suit
med (of treatment) designed to alleviate symptoms: Compare radical (def. 4)
physics a field of force, system, etc, in which the work done moving a body from one point to another is independent of the path taken between them: electrostatic fields of force are conservative
a person who is reluctant to change or consider new ideas; conformist
a supporter or advocate of conservatism
a less common word for preservative
Derived forms of conservative
- conservatively, adverb
- conservativeness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Conservative (2 of 2)
/ (kənˈsɜːvətɪv) /
of, supporting, or relating to a Conservative Party
of, relating to, or characterizing Conservative Judaism
a supporter or member of a Conservative Party
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for conservative
A descriptive term for persons, policies, and beliefs associated with conservatism.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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