preservative

adjective

pre·ser·va·tive | \pri-ˈzər-və-tiv

Definition of preservative

(Entry 1 of 2)

: having the power of preserving

preservative

noun

Definition of preservative (Entry 2 of 2)

: something that preserves or has the power of preserving specifically : an additive used to protect against decay, discoloration, or spoilage

Examples of preservative in a Sentence

Noun

This food does not contain any artificial preservatives. The wood was treated with preservative.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

For bogs, the acidity has remarkable preservative effects—think bog bodies—and keeps the environment limited to highly specialized species that can tolerate such harsh environments. — Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, "How Humble Moss Healed the Wounds of Thousands in World War I," 28 Apr. 2017 For cut flowers: Fill a clean vase halfway with lukewarm water, and mix in half or the entire preservative bag that comes with your flowers. — Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, "Punch List: What to do outdoors in your garden in February, plus tips on seeds," 3 Feb. 2017 Reliably clean water wouldn't arrive until 1842’s opening of the Croton Aqueduct, and thanks to its boiling process and the preservative nature of hops, beer was safer to drink than water until then. — Keith Flanagan, USA TODAY, "New York City's beer trail," 27 Apr. 2017 For bogs, the acidity has remarkable preservative effects—think bog bodies—and keeps the environment limited to highly specialized species that can tolerate such harsh environments. — Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, "How Humble Moss Healed the Wounds of Thousands in World War I," 28 Apr. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Cooper’s blood on the shirt tested positive for a preservative used in blood samples, leading his defenders to accuse the government of tampering. — latimes.com, "'They framed me': On death row for decades, Kevin Cooper pushes for new DNA tests in Chino Hills murders," 8 July 2018 Those extra ingredients can include salt, food dyes, preservatives, extra dairy, emulsifiers, or other artificial ingredients. — Alex Delany, Bon Appetit, "What Is Processed Cheese, and Should We Eat It?," 30 Apr. 2018 Added water, preservatives, and synthetics not included. — Ivana Rihter, Vogue, "5 New, Eco-Friendly Beauty Brands, Just in Time for Earth Day," 21 Apr. 2018 To buy: $240; amazon.com The foam inside Live and Sleep mattresses is both Certi-Pur and Okeo-Tex certified, meaning it’s proven to be free from heavy metals, preservatives, and other chemicals that can pose a risk to human health. — Amanda Macmillan, Health.com, "The 6 Best Memory-Foam Mattresses to Buy Online," 8 Mar. 2018 The difference between her products and other, less holistic products, Harper explains, has to do with not only bottling the most beautiful ingredients, but opting out of the synthetic preservatives that some brands rely on. — refinery29.com, "What Is Farm-To-Face Beauty — & Why Should You Care?," 27 June 2018 Each dropping gets whisked up on a cotton swab, put into a small vial of preservative and stored in a cooler. — Washington Post, "Bird flu hot spot: Scientists track virus in huge migration," 28 June 2018 But make sure to choose a drop without preservatives and that isn’t targeted to redness. — Jessica Cruel, SELF, "9 Makeup Tips for People Whose Eyes Water All the Time," 20 June 2018 The peppers are dried over a fire containing oak, allowing a deeply smoky flavor to come through without any preservatives or unnatural flavors. — Jeremy Glass, Bon Appetit, "This Smoked Paprika Brings Out Flavors I Didn’t Know Existed," 23 May 2018

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about preservative

Dictionary Entries near preservative

Statistics for preservative

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for preservative

The first known use of preservative was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for preservative

preservative

noun

English Language Learners Definition of preservative

: a chemical that is added to food to keep it fresh longer

: a substance that is used on wood to prevent it from decaying

See the full definition for preservative in the English Language Learners Dictionary

preservative

noun

pre·ser·va·tive | \pri-ˈzər-vət-iv

Kids Definition of preservative

: a substance added to food to keep it from spoiling

preservative

noun

pre·ser·va·tive | \pri-ˈzər-vət-iv

Medical Definition of preservative

: something that preserves or has the power of preserving specifically : an additive used to protect against decay, discoloration, or spoilage a food preservative