: 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
Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Kennedy has a long history of promoting conspiracies about childhood vaccines, including the theory that the preservative thimerosal—which has been phased out of most modern vaccine formulas—is linked to autism, a claim that’s been thoroughly discredited by medical studies.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Emily Nadal, Parents, 24 Apr. 2025
Individual states, such as California and West Virginia, have also independently pushed legislation to ban certain food dyes and preservatives this year.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preservative
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Adjective
The back of the device houses everything needed to create the foundation, including the preservative system, emulsions and pigments.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Kennedy has a long history of promoting conspiracies about childhood vaccines, including the theory that the preservative thimerosal—which has been phased out of most modern vaccine formulas—is linked to autism, a claim that’s been thoroughly discredited by medical studies.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Noun
Then there are preservatives which keep them shelf stable.
—Emily Nadal, Parents, 24 Apr. 2025
Individual states, such as California and West Virginia, have also independently pushed legislation to ban certain food dyes and preservatives this year.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preservative
Cite this Entry
“Preservative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preservative. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
preservative
1 of 2 adjective
pre·ser·va·tive
pri-ˈzər-vət-iv 
: having the power of preserving
preservative
2 of 2 noun
: something that preserves or has the power of preserving
especially
: a substance added to food to prevent spoiling or discoloring
Medical Definition
preservative
noun
pre·ser·va·tive
pri-ˈzər-vət-iv
: something that preserves or has the power of preserving
specifically
: an additive used to protect against decay, discoloration, or spoilage
a food preservative
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