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

2 of 2

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

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

Now, the 52-year-old executive is firmly presiding over the empire his father built — encompassing the most influential conservative media institutions in America — from an office suite on the L.A. studio lot. —

Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023 The star anchor, who boasted the network’s highest ratings, was told by a News Corp. board member that the move was a condition of the Dominion settlement as a way to best maim the conservative network. —

Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 21 Sep. 2023 Murdoch became one of the foremost media executives of the last half century by building an extensive network of tabloids, cable and broadcast TV, and entertainment assets, many known for espousing conservative ideas. —

Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2023 The channel cultivated a devoted audience in the decades to come, establishing itself as a pillar of the modern conservative movement. —

Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023 Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, died last September after being detained by the regime’s infamous morality police, allegedly for not abiding by the country’s conservative dress code. —

Tara Subramaniam, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023 Rupert Murdoch is passing the torch of his conservative media empire to his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, as the mogul prepares for retirement. —

Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2023 Lake has continued to be a visible presence on the conservative circuit in key states like Michigan and Iowa, which helped maintain her ties to primary voters. —

Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2023 The district was sued by a conservative group called the Mama Bears after banning a member of that group from reading explicit book excerpts at meetings. —

Jeff Amy, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2023

Noun

Last week, when House conservatives held a press conference outside the Capitol to lay out their demands, they were joined by Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah. —

Sahil Kapur, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023 Thus the divide in Georgia, where Kemp, a party-line conservative save for his objections to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, ran ahead of Herschel Walker. —

Ben Jacobs, The New Republic, 21 Sep. 2023 The House was originally scheduled to vote on the Defense Appropriations Act last Wednesday, but the legislation was later pulled from the schedule due to a lack of support among hard-line conservatives who sought to use their votes as leverage for other legislation. —

Cami Mondeaux, Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2023 The United Auto Workers union has never been a friend of conservatives. —

The Editors, National Review, 18 Sep. 2023 Paxton supporters have tried to put Texas politics on the national stage and rally conservatives across the country by appearing on the podcast hosted by former President Donald Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon. —

Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, 17 Sep. 2023 The event featured many devout and well-connected social conservatives who can play a decisive role in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation Republican caucuses in January. —

Will Weissert and Thomas Beaumont, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023 While the deal is expected to appease a significant amount of conservatives, including several in the House Freedom Caucus, Republican leaders now face the difficult task of ensuring the bill passes through their razor-thin margins. —

Marianna Sotomayor and Leigh Ann Caldwell, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Sep. 2023 While some conservatives were digging in against the plan, the prospect of a shutdown was alarming other Republicans, including those from swing districts carried by Biden in 2020, who could feel the political backlash from a government closure. —

Carl Hulse, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 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.

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

See more words from the same century