What does Conservative mean?

Definitions for Conservative
kənˈsɜr və tɪvcon·ser·va·tive

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Conservative.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. conservative, conservativistnoun

    a person who is reluctant to accept changes and new ideas

  2. Conservativeadjective

    a member of a Conservative Party

  3. conservativeadjective

    resistant to change

  4. conservativeadjective

    having social or political views favoring conservatism

  5. cautious, conservativeadjective

    avoiding excess

    "a conservative estimate"

  6. button-down, buttoned-down, conservativeadjective

    unimaginatively conventional

    "a colorful character in the buttoned-down, dull-grey world of business"- Newsweek

  7. bourgeois, conservative, materialisticadjective

    conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class

    "a bourgeois mentality"

Wiktionary

  1. conservativenoun

    A person who favors maintenance of the status quo or reversion to some earlier status.

  2. conservativenoun

    A fiscal conservative

  3. conservativenoun

    A political conservative

  4. conservativenoun

    A social conservative.

  5. conservativeadjective

    Tending to resist change.

    The curriculum committee at this university is extremely conservative.

  6. conservativeadjective

    Based on pessimistic assumptions.

    At a conservative estimate, growth may even be negative next year.

  7. conservativeadjective

    Supporting some combination of fiscal, political or social conservatism.

  8. conservativeadjective

    Relating to the Republican Party, regardless of its conservatism.

  9. conservativeadjective

    Relating to the Conservative Party.

  10. conservativeadjective

    Neither creating nor destroying a given quantity.

  11. Conservativenoun

    Conservative Party

  12. Conservativenoun

    A member of a political party incorporating the word "Conservative" in its name.

  13. Conservativenoun

    A member of the Conservative party.

  14. Conservativenoun

    A member or supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada, or its predecessors, or provincial equivalents, or their predecessors

  15. Etymology: From servare

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Conservativeadjective

    Having the power of opposing diminution or injury.

    Etymology: from conservo, Latin.

    The spherical figure, as to all heavenly bodies, so it agreeeth to light, as the most perfect and conservative of all others. Henry Peacham.

Wikipedia

  1. Conservative

    Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in which it appears. In Western culture, depending on the particular nation, conservatives seek to promote a range of social institutions such as the nuclear family, organized religion, the military, property rights, monarchy, and parliamentary government. Conservatives tend to favor institutions and practices that guarantee stability and evolved gradually. Adherents of conservatism often oppose certain aspects of modernity (for example mass culture and secularism) and seek a return to traditional values, though different groups of conservatives may choose different traditional values to preserve.The first established use of the term in a political context originated in 1818 with François-René de Chateaubriand during the period of Bourbon Restoration that sought to roll back the policies of the French Revolution. Historically associated with right-wing politics, the term has since been used to describe a wide range of views. There is no single set of policies regarded as conservative because the meaning of conservatism depends on what is considered traditional in a given place and time. Conservative thought has varied considerably as it has adapted itself to existing traditions and national cultures. For example, some conservatives advocate for greater economic intervention, while others advocate for a more laissez faire free-market economic system. Thus, conservatives from different parts of the world—each upholding their respective traditions—may disagree on a wide range of issues. Edmund Burke, an 18th-century politician who opposed the French Revolution but supported the American Revolution, is credited as one of the main theorists of conservatism in the 1790s.

ChatGPT

  1. conservative

    In a broader sense, conservative refers to a person, political philosophy, or attitude favoring or advocating the preservation of traditional institutions, structures, philosophies or views, and typically cautious about change, innovation, or progressive ideologies. It may emphasize personal responsibility, economic freedom, and limited government intervention. The specific principles, beliefs, and policies regarded as conservative can vary significantly across different cultures and regions.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Conservativeadjective

    having power to preserve in a safe of entire state, or from loss, waste, or injury; preservative

  2. Conservativeadjective

    tending or disposed to maintain existing institutions; opposed to change or innovation

  3. Conservativeadjective

    of or pertaining to a political party which favors the conservation of existing institutions and forms of government, as the Conservative party in England; -- contradistinguished from Liberal and Radical

  4. Conservativenoun

    one who, or that which, preserves from ruin, injury, innovation, or radical change; a preserver; a conserver

  5. Conservativenoun

    one who desires to maintain existing institutions and customs; also, one who holds moderate opinions in politics; -- opposed to revolutionary or radical

  6. Conservativenoun

    a member of the Conservative party

  7. Etymology: [Cf. F. conservatif.]

The Roycroft Dictionary

  1. conservative

    One who is opposed to the things he is in favor of.

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Conservative' in Nouns Frequency: #1372

  2. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Conservative' in Adjectives Frequency: #201

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce Conservative?

How to say Conservative in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Conservative in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Conservative in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of Conservative in a Sentence

  1. Hogan Gidley:

    At the time, we thought it was ok, we got all of the publicity and we called it a win, because we were outspent by so much. But looking back on it, we didn't realize it at the time what comes along with a win in Iowa such as the cover Newsweek, the cover of Time, all of the major publications would have pronounced Rick Santorum as the blue collar conservative and winner of Iowa.

  2. Steve Vladeck:

    Because the Biden administration is eight days away, the odds that this FDA rule is on the books that much longer seems pretty slim, the much bigger import of tonight's ruling is the harbinger it seems to provide of how the new conservative majority is going to approach abortion cases.

  3. Ian Blackford:

    The president of the United States of America will regretfully have the red carpet rolled out for him by this Conservative government, but from the public, the welcome will be far from warm.

  4. Everett Piper:

    The classical liberal is someone who stands for freedom, for liberty and for liberation. What we see today within the American academy is the shutting down of ideas. We see ideological fascism rather than academic freedom. The conservative voice is actually more classically liberal because we’re arguing for an open, robust exchange of ideas. Why? Because we can trust truth to judge the debate rather than politics or power.”

  5. Rick Saccone:

    [The 14th district is] a much stronger district for a person like me with conservative values because I represent the values of this district, and it’s much more conservative than the 18th was.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Conservative#1#4600#10000

Translations for Conservative

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • محافظArabic
  • умерен, консервативен, консерватор, внимателенBulgarian
  • conservador, republicàCatalan, Valencian
  • konzervativníCzech
  • konservativDanish
  • Konvervative, konservativ, KonservativerGerman
  • συντηρητικός, μετριοπαθής, επιφυλακτικός, ρεπουμπλικανόςGreek
  • konservativaEsperanto
  • conservadorSpanish
  • محافظه کارPersian
  • konservatiivi, konservatiivinen, vanhoillinen, varovainen, republikaaninenFinnish
  • conservateur, prudentFrench
  • coimeádachIrish
  • שמרנית, שמרני, שמרןHebrew
  • íhaldssinniIcelandic
  • prudenteItalian
  • 보수주의자Korean
  • zachowawczy, konserwatywnyPolish
  • conservador, prudentePortuguese
  • conservatoare, conservatorRomanian
  • республиканский, консерватор, умеренный, консервативныйRussian
  • gammaldags, republikansk, bakåtsträvande, konservativSwedish
  • อนุรักษนิยมThai
  • muhafazakârTurkish
  • קאנסערוואטיווYiddish

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"Conservative." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Oct. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Conservative>.

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    the trait of lacking restraint or control; reckless freedom from inhibition or worry
    A pluck
    B abandon
    C concoction
    D sweep

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