conservatism

noun con·ser·va·tism \ kən-ˈsər-və-ˌti-zəm \

Definition of conservatism

1 capitalized

a :the principles and policies of a Conservative party

b :the Conservative party

2 a :disposition in politics to preserve what is established

b :a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual development to abrupt change; specifically :such a philosophy calling for lower taxes, limited government regulation of business and investing, a strong national defense, and individual financial responsibility for personal needs (such as retirement income or health-care coverage)

3 :the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change

religious conservatism

cultural conservatism

See conservatism defined for English-language learners

See conservatism defined for kids

Examples of conservatism in a Sentence

the state's well-known conservatism means that progressive legislation always has an uphill battle

Recent Examples of conservatism from the Web

The marches reaffirmed the Bay Area’s, and more broadly California’s, position as the center of resistance to what liberals see as a wave of ultra-conservatism and right-wing extremism sweeping the nation.

— jessica mendoza, The Christian Science Monitor, "California weighs costs of being the center of the 'resistance'," 28 Aug. 2017
And given the choice between the House GOP’s movement conservatism and the president’s maniacal narcissism, a lot of Republican voters are picking the latter.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Has Converted the GOP Base to His Ideology: Trump First," 22 Aug. 2017
Indeed, Bannon's nationalistic, outsider conservatism served as a guiding force for Trump's rise to office.

— jonathan lemire and jill colvin, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Trump ousts chief strategist Steve Bannon, who returns to helm at Breitbart News," 19 Aug. 2017
Indeed, Bannon's nationalistic, outsider conservatism served as a guiding force for Trump's rise to office.

— jonathan lemire and jill colvin, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Trump ousts chief strategist Steve Bannon, who returns to helm at Breitbart News," 19 Aug. 2017
Bannon's previous tenure as chairman of Breitbart coincided with the site's move to the epicenter of the nationalist brand of right-wing conservatism that swept Trump into office last year.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Bannon wastes no time taking back reins at Breitbart News," 18 Aug. 2017
Indeed, Bannon's nationalistic, outsider conservatism served as a guiding force for Trump's rise to office.

— jonathan lemire and jill colvin, courant.com, "Trump ousts chief strategist Steve Bannon, who returns to helm at Breitbart News," 18 Aug. 2017
One reason is the conservatism of teachers and their unions.

— The Economist, "Education technologyTogether, technology and teachers can revamp schools," 22 July 2017
The fiscal conservatism championed by Republicans like House Speaker Paul Ryan was, at least during the campaign, very much an afterthought.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "Donald Trump is not the only unpredictable leader in Paris today," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conservatism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.