conservative

1 of 2

adjective

con·ser·va·tive kən-ˈsər-və-tiv

Synonyms of conservative next

: of or relating to a philosophy of conservatism

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)

: progressive conservative

: tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions : traditional

conservative policies

: marked by moderation or caution

a conservative estimate

: marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste, elegance, style, or manners

a conservative suit

a conservative architectural style

Conservative : of, relating to, or practicing Conservative Judaism

: preservative

conservatively adverb

conservativeness noun

conservative

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noun

: an adherent or advocate of political conservatism

Conservative : a member or supporter of a conservative political party

: one who adheres to traditional methods or views

: a cautious or discreet person

Example Sentences

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

The Goldwater Institute, a conservative and libertarian public policy think tank, also announced and submitted a suit against the city, asking the courts to force it to release documents about current negotiations with PLEA. —

Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2023 But liberal and conservative legal scholars say financial fallout from a MOHELA-Missouri link is too weak and speculative to justify the states' Supreme Court case. —

Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2023 Among them are the 20 Republicans who repeatedly voted against Mr. McCarthy for speaker, viewing him as insufficiently conservative and too cozy with the Washington establishment. —

Charlie Smart, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2023 Four candidates — two conservatives and two liberals — are running in Tuesday’s primary for a seat being vacated by a retiring conservative justice. —

Molly Beck, Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2023 The election is technically nonpartisan, although the four candidates have staked out clear liberal and conservative positions. —

Ben Kamisar, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2023 They have been joined by advocates — both liberal and conservative — who portray the internet as a cesspool of disinformation and hate speech, a home for stalkers and fraudsters and a contributor to teen suicides and mass shootings. —

Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2023 Netanyahu leads Likud, a party defined by conservative and populist ideas. —

Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023 Situated uneasily between conservative and liberal parties, Kagan understood that neoconservative elites had lost influence in their home, the Republican Party. —

Samuel Moyn, The New Republic, 14 Feb. 2023

Noun

Sampson, a small-government conservative, is her foil. —

Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2023 McCarthy opponents moved to unify behind Jordan in an attempt to build momentum for an alternative, but the stalwart conservative would have a hard time getting the backing of swing-district moderates. —

Erik Wasson, Bloomberg.com, 3 Jan. 2023 For a brief moment back in April, a certain kind of American conservative was gaga for the small central European country. —

Joseph C. Sternberg, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022 No less of a conservative than the Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made this point in a case about the disclosure of petition signatures, in 2010. —

Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2022 Gosar, a conservative, is a strong ally of former President Donald Trump and echoed the baseless 2020 election conspiracies Trump promoted. —

Tirzah Christopher, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2022 Portman's endorsement is also a blow to Dolan, who actively touted the infrastructure deal and paints himself as the only traditional conservative in the race. —

Haley Bemiller, The Enquirer, 16 Feb. 2022 An outspoken conservative, he’s long been active in Republican politics in Palm Beach County and the state. —

Anthony Man, sun-sentinel.com, 2 Aug. 2021 In the GOP Senate primary, almost all the candidates have centered their campaigns around being a Trump conservative. —

Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 3 May 2022 See More

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