preservative

adjective pre·ser·va·tive \ pri-ˈzər-və-tiv \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: preservative in a Sentence

Definition of preservative

: having the power of preserving

Recent Examples of preservative from the Web

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

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.

First Known Use of preservative

14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

preservative

noun

Definition of preservative

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

See preservative defined for English-language learners

Examples of preservative in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of preservative from the Web

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
Together, the team worked tirelessly, their efforts culminating in a bleary all-nighter as the squids were finally drained of the last of the formalin and immersed in a new experimental preservative just weeks before the hall’s grand opening.

— katherine j. wu, Smithsonian, "Operation Calamari: How the Smithsonian Got Its Giant Squids," 21 June 2018
This was done to avoid using commercial methadone solutions, which are not approved for pediatric use and contain alcohol as a preservative.

— marie mccullough, Philly.com, "Newborns in opioid withdrawal may do better on methadone than morphine, major study finds," 18 June 2018
Salt in butter acts as a preservative and will extend the freshness of the butter.

— heloise, Houston Chronicle, "The basics of buttermilk," 12 June 2018
This detangling co-wash — which is made with natural oils and preservatives — works on thin, thick, or curly hair and removes icky impurities (goodbye spin class sweat) without leaving strands totally dehydrated.

— emily barth isler, Allure, "13 Amazing Hair-Care Products From Natural Beauty Brands," 10 Jan. 2018