preservative

American  

[pri-zur-vuh-tiv] / prɪˈzɜr və tɪv /

noun

1. something that preserves or tends to preserve.

2. a chemical substance used to preserve foods or other organic materials from decomposition or fermentation.

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adjective

1. tending to preserve.

preservative British  

/ prɪˈzɜːvətɪv /

noun

1. something that preserves or tends to preserve, esp a chemical added to foods to inhibit decomposition

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adjective

1. tending or intended to preserve

Other Word Forms

• nonpreservative adjective

Etymology

Origin of preservative

1350–1400; Middle English (adj. and noun) < Middle French preservatif (adj.) < Medieval Latin praeservātīvus. See preserve, -ative

Example Sentences

Researchers compared samples collected with and without a preservative and found 98.75% agreement between results, showing that the preservative did not interfere with the test.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

Costco’s famed $4.99 rotisserie chicken is under fire in a proposed class action lawsuit claiming that the big box warehouse falsely advertised that its birds were preservative free.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026

In their analysis, Inserm researchers divided preservative additives into two main groups.

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

A white snake in a jar of preservative stared blindly down at them.

From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

• vinegar