conservative

[ kuhn-sur-vuh-tiv ]

/ kənˈsɜr və tɪv /

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See synonyms for: conservative / conservatively / conservativeness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

noun

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.

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Origin of conservative

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

OTHER WORDS FROM conservative

con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverbcon·serv·a·tive·ness, nounan·ti·con·serv·a·tive, adjective, nounan·ti·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverb

an·ti·con·serv·a·tive·ness, nounhalf-con·serv·a·tive, adjectivehalf-con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverbhy·per·con·serv·a·tive, adjective, nounhy·per·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverbhy·per·con·serv·a·tive·ness, nounnon·con·ser·va·tive, adjective, nouno·ver·con·serv·a·tive, adjectiveo·ver·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverbo·ver·con·serv·a·tive·ness, nounpseu·do·con·serv·a·tive, adjectivepseu·do·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverbqua·si-con·serv·a·tive, adjectivequa·si-con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverbsem·i·con·serv·a·tive, adjectivesem·i·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverbsu·per·con·serv·a·tive, adjectivesu·per·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverbsu·per·con·serv·a·tive·ness, nounun·con·serv·a·tive, adjectiveun·con·serv·a·tive·ly, adverbun·con·serv·a·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use conservative in a sentence

The conservative Media Research Center has posted a public letter urging supporters not to listen to non-conservative media.
Conservative Media Warns Readers Not to Listen to 'The Media'|David Frum|September 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She was, to give her some credit, the first speaker of the night who tried to reach out to non-conservative voters.
Ann Romney’s Speech|Michael Tomasky|August 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for conservative (1 of 2)

conservative

/ (kənˈsɜːvətɪv) /

adjective

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

of, characteristic of, or relating to conservatism

tending to be moderate or cautiousa conservative estimate

conventional in style or typea conservative suit

med (of treatment) designed to alleviate symptomsCompare 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 themelectrostatic fields of force are conservative

noun

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

a supporter or advocate of conservatism

adjective, noun

a less common word for preservative

Derived forms of conservative

conservatively, adverbconservativeness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for conservative (2 of 2)

Conservative

/ (kənˈsɜːvətɪv) /

adjective (in Britain, Canada, and elsewhere)

of, supporting, or relating to a Conservative Party

of, relating to, or characterizing Conservative Judaism

noun

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

conservative

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

conservative

Origin of conservative

OTHER WORDS FROM conservative

Words related to conservative

How to use conservative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for conservative (1 of 2)

Derived forms of conservative

British Dictionary definitions for conservative (2 of 2)

Cultural definitions for conservative