well-preserved

American  

[wel-pri-zurvd] / ˈwɛl prɪˈzɜrvd /

adjective

1. having been maintained in good condition; preserving a good or healthy appearance.

   a well-preserved manuscript; a well-preserved elderly couple.

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well-preserved British  

adjective

1. kept in a good condition

2. continuing to appear youthful

   she was a well-preserved old lady

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well preserved Idioms  

1. Aging gracefully, still in good condition, as in I can't believe she's 65; she's certainly well preserved. [Mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of well-preserved

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Maloney provided exceptionally well-preserved seaweed fossils that are roughly one billion years old, collected from Yukon Territory, Canada.

From Science Daily • Nov. 18, 2025

Even those of us with well-preserved memories forget far more than we remember.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

What followed was a "discovery of such a diverse and well-preserved set of artifacts, which exceeded our expectations," Dr. Karahan says.

From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2025

As his team dug deeper, they found the well-preserved remains in a pit in what appeared to be a meditative posture.

From BBC • May 5, 2025

At ninety-nine they began to call him well-preserved; but unchanged would have been nearer the mark.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

• unspoiled