conservative en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /kənˈsɜːvətɪv/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /kənˈzɜːvətɪv/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /kənˈsɝvətɪv/ (General-American)
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French conservatif, from Latin cōnservō (“to preserve”). Equivalent to conserve + -ative.
Meanings
-
Cautious, moderate.
The chef added a conservative amount of salt to the dish.
-
Tending to resist change or innovation.
Those who defend him [Hegel] against the charge of conservative bias point out with truth that he believes in a tribunal of Reason to distinguish between what is truly real and what appears real but is no longer 'essential', maintaining a purely empirical existence and destined soon to be swept away.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: powstanie (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 77:India is a conservative land. The gods do not change.
1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC:The curriculum committee at this university is extremely conservative.
-
Based on pessimistic assumptions, and on the low side.
At a conservative estimate, growth may even be negative next year.
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(Canada, US) Supporting some combination of fiscal, political or social conservatism.
George Soros remains a favorite target of conservative conspiracy theorists, seeing his corrupting influence behind every liberal movement and within every nook and cranny.
2020 November 18, Brian Lowry, “‘Soros’ looks at the life and activism of the right’s favorite bogeyman”, in CNN, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2026:Newspapers in "capitalist" ownership, universities presided over by "reactionary" governing bodies, broadcasting systems owned by conservative governments have all been known to influence public opinion in the direction of socialism, because this was the conviction of the personnel.
1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, page 421:
-
(UK) Relating to the Conservative Party.
We have always been conscientiously attached to what is called the Tory, and which might with more propriety be called the Conservative, party.
1830, Quarterly Rev.:
- (not-comparable) Neither creating nor destroying a given quantity.
-
Having power to preserve in a safe or entire state, or from loss, waste, or injury; preservative.
Without the conservative organs, the body would receive no nourishment; and without nourishment, it would soon decay and perish.
1841, The New British and Foreign Temperance Magazine, page 202:
- (Judaism) Relating to Conservative Judaism.
- Conventional, traditional, and moderate in style and appearance; not extreme, excessive, faddish, or intense.
-
Not including any operation or intervention (said of a treatment, see conservative treatment)
Operative treatment should be reserved for those patients in whom conservative treatment has failed and who are motivated with regard to sports.
2000, G. Puddu et al., “Achilles Tendon Injuries”, in The Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine, →ISBN, page 200:
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Having few changes relative to an older form, especially in comparison to related varieties.
While innovative in its verbal system, Sardinian is the most conservative Romance language in its vocabulary and phonology.
In spite of the vague evidence, I think that we may conclude that ME ǭ, like ME ę̄, had two pronunciations during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a more advanced pronunciation with close [oː], and a more conservative one with the ‘intermediate vowel’ [ɔː] […]
1957, E[ric] J. Dobson, English pronunciation 1500-1700, second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 145, page 673:
- (of field) That is the gradient of a function.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most conservative | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more conservative | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
conservativism · anticonservative · cuckservative · hyperconservative · conservatise · biconservative · conservative correctness · conservative model · conservaturd · social conservative · nonconservative · overconservative · fiscal conservative · ultraconservative · conservativeness · unconservative · liberal conservative · conservative extension · conservatard · conservativitis · political conservative · conservative force · archconservative · technoconservative · theoconservative · conservatively · Conservative Jew · cuntservative · conservatize · conservatarian · national conservative · conservative-libertarianism · bioconservative · homocon · paleoconservative · semiconservative · conservaloon · small-c conservative · pseudoconservative · Conservative · conservaphobia · superconservative · Conservative Judaism · cancervative
Relateds
Labour Party · Republican party · Tory · conservatism · conservationist · conserve · liberal · conservator
Translations (113)
gv cumaadagh (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · fi konservatiivinen (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · pt conservador (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · it conservatore (tending to resist change) · pt conservador (based on pessimistic assumptions) · be кансерваты́ўны (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · fi konservatiivinen (tending to resist change) · ko 보수적(保守的)인 (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · fi konservatiivinen (UK: relating to the Conservative party) · fr conservateur (tending to resist change) · ru консервати́вный (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · pl zachowawczy (tending to resist change) · ru республика́нский (US: relating to the Republican party) · be кансэрваты́ўны (tending to resist change) · fi konservatiivinen (based on pessimistic assumptions) · ga coimeádach (tending to resist change) · es conservador (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · pl konserwatywny (tending to resist change) · bg консервативен (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · id konservatif (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · pl konserwatywny (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · de konservativ (tending to resist change) · ja コンサーバティブ (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · fi vanhoillinen (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · ja 保守的な (tending to resist change) · sv republikansk (US: relating to the Republican party) · bg запазващ (physics: neither creating nor destroying a given quantity) · ar مُحَافِظ (tending to resist change) · el συντηρητικός (UK: relating to the Conservative party) · ro prudent (based on pessimistic assumptions) · bg консервативен (calculus: that is the gradient of a function) · he שמרני (tending to resist change) · pt conservador (tending to resist change) · sv konservativ (tending to resist change) · bg внимателен (based on pessimistic assumptions) · de konservativ (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · ro precaut (based on pessimistic assumptions) · cs konzervativní (tending to resist change) · el συντηρητικός (tending to resist change) · sv gammaldags (tending to resist change) · pt republicano (US: relating to the Republican party) · ca republicà (US: relating to the Republican party) · cmn 保守的 (tending to resist change) · es conservador (tending to resist change) · gv cumaadagh (UK: relating to the Conservative party) · id konservatif (tending to resist change) · da konservativ (tending to resist change) · bg за запазване (physics: neither creating nor destroying a given quantity) · fi republikaaninen (US: relating to the Republican party) · kk сақтанымпаз (tending to resist change) · vi bảo thủ (tending to resist change) · hi रूढ़िवादी (tending to resist change) · ca conservador (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · hy պահպանողական (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · pt prudente (based on pessimistic assumptions) · es conservativo (tending to resist change) · cmn 保守 (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · ko 보수적(保守的)인 (tending to resist change) · ro conservator (tending to resist change) · ko 공화당(共和黨)의 (US: relating to the Republican party) · sv konservativ (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · fi konservatiivinen (linguistics: having few changes relative to an older form) · fr conservateur (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · pl konserwatywny (linguistics: having few changes relative to an older form) · sk konzervatívny (tending to resist change) · bg умерен (based on pessimistic assumptions) · sh ко̏нзерватӣван (tending to resist change) · fr conservateur (linguistics: having few changes relative to an older form) · ko 비관적(悲觀的)인 (based on pessimistic assumptions) · ca conservador (UK: relating to the Conservative party) · ar مُحَافِظ (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · hy պահպանողական (tending to resist change) · ca conservador (tending to resist change) · ru уме́ренный (based on pessimistic assumptions) · ro conservator (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · sv bakåtsträvande (tending to resist change) · vi bảo thủ chủ nghĩa (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · ja 保守的 (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · cmn 守舊 /守旧 (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · th หัวโบราณ (tending to resist change) · eo konservativa (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · ro conservator (UK: relating to the Conservative party) · fi vanhoillinen (tending to resist change) · ru консервати́вный (UK: relating to the Conservative party) · fi varovainen (based on pessimistic assumptions) · bg консервативен (tending to resist change) · es conservativo (physics: neither creating nor destroying a given quantity) · yi קאָנסערוואַטיוו (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · uk консервати́вний (tending to resist change) · el συντηρητικός (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · gv freilltagh (tending to resist change) · es conservador (based on pessimistic assumptions) · el επιφυλακτικός (based on pessimistic assumptions) · bg консервативен (UK: relating to the Conservative party) · fr prudent (based on pessimistic assumptions) · uk консервати́вний (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · fa محافظهکار (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · ru консервати́вный (tending to resist change) · az mühafizəkar (supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism) · fr archaïque (linguistics: having few changes relative to an older form) · mi arowheau (tending to resist change) · bg републикански (US: relating to the Republican party) · gl conservador (tending to resist change) · it prudente (based on pessimistic assumptions) · ko 보수당(保守黨)의 (UK: relating to the Conservative party) · ro republican (US: relating to the Republican party) · sh kȍnzervatīvan (tending to resist change) · el ρεπουμπλικανός (US: relating to the Republican party) · el μετριοπαθής (based on pessimistic assumptions) · ro conservator (based on pessimistic assumptions) · be кансерваты́ўны (tending to resist change) · az mühafizəkar (tending to resist change) · fa محافظهکار (tending to resist change)