as in conservativeness
attitudes or opinions tending to favor established ideas, conditions, or institutions
the state's well-known conservatism means that progressive legislation always has an uphill battle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conservatism
Extreme conservatism in a monetary protocol is a defensible philosophy.
—
Sandy Peng, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
America has a long history of cheese-conservatism.
—Olivia Potts, Longreads, 28 May 2026
There are certain people who are going to go with different conspiracy theories and different ideas about what conservatism should be.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Defectors from the ‘New Right’ say that sexism is a feature, not a bug of modern-day conservatism.
—Brittany Luse, NPR, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for conservatism
Sandy Peng, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
America has a long history of cheese-conservatism.
—Olivia Potts, Longreads, 28 May 2026
There are certain people who are going to go with different conspiracy theories and different ideas about what conservatism should be.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Defectors from the ‘New Right’ say that sexism is a feature, not a bug of modern-day conservatism.
—Brittany Luse, NPR, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for conservatism
Cite this Entry
“Conservatism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conservatism. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
