noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of preservative
1350–1400; Middle English (adj. and noun) < Middle French preservatif (adj.) < Medieval Latin praeservātīvus. See preserve, -ative
Explanation
Anything that's preservative keeps things alive, healthy, or fresh. Some cooks swear by the preservative powers of lemon juice, which can keep fruit tasting fresh and save avocado slices from turning brown. Use preservative as an adjective — or a noun, for a chemical or other substance that keeps something from dying or breaking down. Food preservatives are sometimes added to make edible things last longer, and to items like medication and cosmetics, so they don't decay before you've finished using them. Preservative followed the verb preserve, which in the fourteenth century meant "to keep something safe."
Vocabulary lists containing preservative
Novel Study: Fahrenheit 451, Part I
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The Million Dollar Shot
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"Allegedly" by Tiffany D. Jackson, Chapters 2–4
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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.
Both shoppers say they prefer to buy foods that are preservative free when possible.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026
More than 700,000 of those products contained at least one preservative.
From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2026
However, direct evidence linking preservative intake to type 2 diabetes in large human populations has been limited until now.
From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2026
She says there are some "legitimate costs" that come with processing a body - like spending on transport, and preservative chemicals.
From BBC • Aug. 30, 2025
He suggested that she increase the proportion of preservative that she used.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
