preservationist

[prez-er-vey-shuh-nist]

noun

1. a person who advocates or promotes preservation, especially of wildlife, natural areas, or historical places.

   A group of historic preservationists is working to keep the old meeting house intact by turning it into a haven for scholars, researchers, and academics.

Other Word Forms

• preservationism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of preservationist¹

1925–30; preservation ( def. ) + -ist

Example Sentences

It sat vacant for over 20 years, while animal and human scavengers ransacked the ten-acre site and claimed it for their own, before it was rescued in the 1990s by architectural preservationists.

From Salon

Actress Diane Keaton has renovated entire homes with historic tiles, and preservationists have been known to dumpster dive to save Batchelder tiles from the landfill.

From Los Angeles Times

“This to me is a landmark that defines the entire neighborhood of East Hollywood,” said James Dastoli, a preservationist who nominated the property and spoke at the meeting.

From Los Angeles Times

The Palisades and Eaton infernos have laid waste to more than 30 structures considered historic in what preservationists believe is the single worst loss of such properties in the region’s history.

From Los Angeles Times

Although preservationists are pressing the city to save the brick building with the rock ‘n’ roll vibe, the future remains uncertain and the end seems near.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• biologist 
• botanist 
• conservationist 
• ecologist 
• environmentalist 
• zoologist