conservative

American  

[kuhn-sur-vuh-tiv] / kənˈsɜr və tɪv /

adjective

1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.

2. cautiously moderate or purposefully low.

   a conservative estimate.

3. traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness.

   conservative suit.

4. (often initial capital letter) of or relating to the Conservative party.

5. (initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of Conservative Jews or Conservative Judaism.

6. having the power or tendency to conserve or preserve.

7. Mathematics. (of a vector or vector function) having curl equal to zero; irrotational; lamellar.

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noun

1. a person who is conservative in principles, actions, habits, etc.

2. a supporter of conservative political policies.

3. (initial capital letter) a member of a conservative political party, especially the Conservative party in Great Britain.

4. a preservative.

conservative ¹ British  

/ kənˈsɜːvətɪv /

adjective

1. favouring the preservation of established customs, values, etc, and opposing innovation

2. of, characteristic of, or relating to conservatism

3. tending to be moderate or cautious

   a conservative estimate

4. conventional in style or type

   a conservative suit

5. med (of treatment) designed to alleviate symptoms Compare radical

6. 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

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noun

1. a person who is reluctant to change or consider new ideas; conformist

2. a supporter or advocate of conservatism

adjective

1. a less common word for preservative

Conservative ² British  

/ kənˈsɜːvətɪv /

adjective

1. of, supporting, or relating to a Conservative Party

2. of, relating to, or characterizing Conservative Judaism

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noun

1. a supporter or member of a Conservative Party

conservative Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for persons, policies, and beliefs associated with conservatism.

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Other Word Forms

• anticonservative adjective
• anticonservatively adverb
• anticonservativeness noun
• conservatively adverb
• conservativeness noun
• half-conservative adjective
• half-conservatively adverb
• hyperconservative adjective
• hyperconservatively adverb
• hyperconservativeness noun
• nonconservative adjective
• overconservative adjective
• overconservatively adverb
• overconservativeness noun
• pseudoconservative adjective
• pseudoconservatively adverb
• quasi-conservative adjective
• quasi-conservatively adverb
• semiconservative adjective
• semiconservatively adverb
• superconservative adjective
• superconservatively adverb
• superconservativeness noun
• unconservative adjective
• unconservatively adverb
• unconservativeness noun

Etymology

Origin of conservative

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Late Latin conservātīvus, equivalent to Latin conservāt(us) ( see conservation) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English conservatif, from Middle French, from Latin, as above

Explanation

If you are conservative, you aren’t necessarily a card-carrying member of the Republican party (though you might be); it means you resist change. Conservative has the word conserve in it, which means "to hold on to, or save." In a drought, you want to be conservative in your water use. If you don’t get paid that much and don’t want to use credit cards, you’d better be conservative with your money. And if you dress in a conservative way, you prefer traditional styles to new trends and fads.

Example Sentences

The Daily Wire launched a book publishing arm in 2021 with stated ambitions of breaking the stranglehold traditional houses had on conservative books.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

Mahmoud Nabavian, a conservative lawmaker and member of Iran’s negotiating team, rebuffed Trump’s announcement that the strait was fully open.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

He has repaired some of the rifts from Francis’ conflict with the traditionalists, and many conservative Catholics have taken a wait-and-see view in the new era.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026

Rinehart is one of Australia's biggest private donors to sports, charities and conservative political parties.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

The Lufkins have such family pride that not even conservative tradition can sway a Lufkin woman into changing her last name when she gets married.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

Related Words

• right of center
• right-wing