conservative

1 of 2

adjective

con·​ser·​va·​tive kən-ˈsər-və-tiv How to pronounce conservative (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to a philosophy of conservatism
b
Conservative : of or constituting a political party professing the principles of conservatism: such as
(1)
: of or constituting a party of the United Kingdom advocating support of established institutions
2
a
: tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions : traditional
conservative policies
b
: marked by moderation or caution
a conservative estimate
c
: marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste, elegance, style, or manners
a conservative suit
a conservative architectural style
3
Conservative : of, relating to, or practicing Conservative Judaism
4
conservatively adverb
conservativeness noun

conservative

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an adherent or advocate of political conservatism
b
Conservative : a member or supporter of a conservative political party
2
a
: one who adheres to traditional methods or views
b
: a cautious or discreet person

Examples of conservative in a Sentence

Adjective She is a liberal Democrat who married a conservative Republican. She's more conservative now than she was in college. Noun His message is being well received by conservatives. proposed legislation that was opposed by conservatives throughout the state
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
For the remainder of the government funding battle, Johnson rarely bowed to conservative pressure. USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024 The conservative push to restrict birth control just might. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024 And vote-by-mail ballots — historically used more often by conservative and older voters — made for dramatic finishes in some cases. Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024 However, Truth Social is also a platform for other conservative voices. Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2024 The bill also includes several conservative policy wins. Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024 In a tight race in 2021, conservative Jim McMullen won by only 51 votes, and Kaety Bowers won by a larger margin, with 52.5% of the vote. Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 It has been promoted across conservative media, and some high-profile Republicans in Congress, including the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., have publicly offered their support. Mike Levine, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024 The 34-year-old confirmed the news on Friday on X, the platform where most of the drama between the two conservative media figures played out. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Mar. 2024
Noun
Taken to its logical conclusion, this idea would represent a cyclical idea of history—a fatalist notion that has recently found favor among conservatives. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 Among survey participants identified as liberals, 98 percent felt that way, while 88 percent of conservatives agreed. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024 Johnson also faced pushback from conservatives because GOP leaders broke their promise that lawmakers would have 72 hours to review legislation before voting on it. Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024 The frenzied rush to fund the government was the latest example of internal divisions within the increasingly narrow Republican majority that has forced party leaders to rely on Democratic votes to get legislation passed, much to the dismay of conservatives. Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024 But its passage through the House was more fraught than the vote total might appear: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) bucked the chamber’s rules to force the bill past far-right roadblocks, unleashing rage among some conservatives and slackening Johnson’s leadership grasp. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 That approach has fueled howls from conservatives who argue Protasiewicz and other candidates are crossing a kind of ethical line and inappropriately politicizing judicial races. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2024 The app gained a cult-like following from conservatives and the far-right at a time when former President Donald Trump and his administration were going after the big Silicon Valley tech platforms Facebook and Instagram for allegedly censoring conservative speech online. Makena Kelly, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024 The proposal responds to belief among conservatives that elections have seen widespread tainting by ineligible voters casting ballots. Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conservative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English conservatif "tending to protect or preserve," borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Late Latin conservātīvus, from Latin conservātus, past participle of conservāre "to save or keep from danger, preserve, keep unchanged" + -īvus -ive — more at conserve entry 1

Noun

derivative of conservative entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of conservative was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near conservative

Cite this Entry

“Conservative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conservative. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

conservative

1 of 2 adjective
con·​ser·​va·​tive kən-ˈsər-vət-iv How to pronounce conservative (audio)
1
: tending to conserve or preserve
2
: of or relating to conservatism
3
: tending to preserve existing views, conditions, or institutions : traditional
4
: cautious, moderate
a conservative estimate
5
: being in agreement with the usual standards of taste or manners
a conservative suit
a conservative dresser
conservatively adverb
conservativeness noun

conservative

2 of 2 noun
: a person who is conservative especially in politics

Medical Definition

conservative

adjective
con·​ser·​va·​tive kən-ˈsər-vət-iv How to pronounce conservative (audio)
: not extreme or drastic
especially : designed to preserve parts or restore or preserve function
conservative treatment of prostate cancer by watchful waiting or hormonal therapy in contrast to radical prostatectomy
compare aggressive sense 3, radical entry 1
conservatively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on conservative

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