conservative
Americanadjective
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disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
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cautiously moderate or purposefully low.
a conservative estimate.
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traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness.
conservative suit.
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(often initial capital letter) of or relating to the Conservative party.
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(initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of Conservative Jews or Conservative Judaism.
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having the power or tendency to conserve or preserve.
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Mathematics. (of a vector or vector function) having curl equal to zero; irrotational; lamellar.
noun
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a person who is conservative in principles, actions, habits, etc.
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a supporter of conservative political policies.
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(initial capital letter) a member of a conservative political party, especially the Conservative party in Great Britain.
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a preservative.
adjective
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favouring the preservation of established customs, values, etc, and opposing innovation
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of, characteristic of, or relating to conservatism
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tending to be moderate or cautious
a conservative estimate
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conventional in style or type
a conservative suit
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med (of treatment) designed to alleviate symptoms Compare radical
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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
noun
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a person who is reluctant to change or consider new ideas; conformist
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a supporter or advocate of conservatism
adjective
adjective
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of, supporting, or relating to a Conservative Party
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of, relating to, or characterizing Conservative Judaism
noun
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) ( conservation ) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English conservatif, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Meanwhile, Alberta and Saskatchewan, two conservative provinces in western Canada, have refused to participate in the programme.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Deavers notes that these estimates are likely conservative.
From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2026
The brokerage maintains the stock’s buy rating but lowers the target price to HK$11.00 from HK$13.50 to reflect more conservative valuation multiple amid rising geopolitical tensions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
In 1898, a conservative Supreme Court upheld that rule and affirmed the citizenship of Wong Kim Ark. He was born in San Francisco to Chinese parents who later returned to China.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Mother had left home after her marriage, as introverted and conservative, and possibly even more shy and bookish, than any of the others.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
