conservatory

noun

con·​ser·​va·​to·​ry kən-ˈsər-və-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural conservatories

1

: a greenhouse for growing or displaying plants

2

: a school specializing in one of the fine arts

a music conservatory

Synonyms of conservatory

• greenhouse

Examples of conservatory in a Sentence

the Peabody Conservatory of Music

the college's conservatory is entirely devoted to cultivating and displaying orchids

Recent Examples on the Web

My undergrad was at Southern Oregon University, which is like a Shakespeare conservatory, because the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is there. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025

The resulting 6,000-square-foot structure, which evokes images of conservatories and greenhouses one of the owners found online, has a distinctly old-world sensibility. —Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2025

In 2018, a lion escaped its enclosure and killed a recent college graduate at a North Carolina conservatory during a routine cleaning. —CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025

Payne, a graduate of the AFI film conservatory, has been with LuckyChap since 2018, working across the company’s feature slate and producing the Sundance breakout My Old Ass from director Megan Park. —Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin conservātōrium "something that preserves" (Medieval Latin, "fish pond"), from Latin conservāre "to save or keep from danger, preserve" + -tōrium, suffix of places (from neuter of -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor); (sense 2) after Italian conservatorio, originally denoting a home for foundlings and orphans who were given a musical education — more at conserve entry 1

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

conservatory

noun

con·​ser·​va·​to·​ry kən-ˈsər-və-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural conservatories

1

: a greenhouse for growing or displaying plants

2

: a place of instruction in some special study (as music)