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

Walking to the 18th tee Wednesday afternoon at Griffith Park’s Harding Course, Granada Hills senior Jahan Battu never considered a conservative approach. —

Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2023 The groups' lawsuit comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and the state legislature have secured several legislative victories to restrict books or textbook material deemed inappropriate for students, part of a growing trend across schools in conservative states. —

Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 17 May 2023 At the risk of sounding like some conservative old studio head, Jake’s dilemma probably would have worked better if Silva were a woman … in which case, Joe might’ve been their love child from all those years ago. —

Peter Debruge, Variety, 17 May 2023 Virgilio Saquicela—the opposition leader of the National Assembly who spearheaded the impeachment effort—was overwhelmingly re-elected last weekend, with support from both the conservative Social Christian party and the socialist party of former president Rafael Correa. —

Diego Lasarte, Quartz, 17 May 2023 Transgender people who decide later to detransition have been disproportionally cited by conservative media and lawmakers, according to an analysis by the New York Times. —

Kinsey Crowley, Fortune, 17 May 2023 Collins had been working for The Daily Caller, a conservative website launched by Tucker Carlson. —

David Bauder, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023 In the 1940s, a group of wealthy conservative Democrats out of step with the overwhelming majority of Texans, who supported Franklin Roosevelt by a margin of four to one, attempted to seize control of the party and deny FDR the state’s Electoral College votes. —

Sam Russek, The New Republic, 17 May 2023 The furniture magnate has also waded into local Houston politics in the last year, endorsing local conservative candidates and railing against Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in a full-page newspaper ad. —

Dan Carson, Chron, 17 May 2023

Noun

Gun rights advocates and conservatives, including Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, have continued to advocate for weaker gun laws. —

Emma Tucker, CNN, 17 May 2023 But Good says that emergency measure isn’t on the table if conservatives aren’t satisfied with a deal McCarthy is able to strike. —

Owen Hayes, NBC News, 17 May 2023 DeSantis, a likely Republican candidate for president, has drawn praise from conservatives and parental rights groups for leading one of the most aggressive states in policing library shelves and the teaching of racial history. —

Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2023 George Derek Musgrove, a University of Maryland at Baltimore historian who has written about D.C. history, described 1978 as a turning point when moderate Republicans who wanted to grant the city rights were overtaken by social conservatives such as Pat Buchanan and Phyllis Schlafly. —

Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 13 May 2023 Russia is pining to build on its budding relationship with American conservatives—literally. —

Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 12 May 2023 The 213-page bill represents a compromise in the Republican conference between mainstream lawmakers, who wanted to focus on beefing up border enforcement, and hardline conservatives, who want to see drastic changes to U.S. asylum and immigration law. —

Stephen Groves, Anchorage Daily News, 12 May 2023 The post sparked outrage from conservatives, including singers Kid Rock and Travis Tritt, and calls to boycott the brand. —

Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 12 May 2023 King’s Christianity presents a challenge to liberals, who are often uncomfortable with religion in the public square, as well as to conservatives, who are more likely to embrace religion in politics but don’t align themselves with the implications of many of King’s core beliefs. —

Jonathan Eig, wsj.com, 12 May 2023 See More

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.