Conservative Meaning
/kənˈsɜːvətɪv/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA person who favors maintenance of the status quo.
nounOne who seeks to promote or preserve traditional values or institutions.
Sentence Examples
On the whole, the older a man grows, the more conservative he becomes.
On the whole, the Japanese are conservative.
The conservative views of his parents
CEFR Practice Quiz
My grandfather is very ____ and refuses to install any modern appliances in his home.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He adopted a more ____ approach to his stock investments, choosing safe options over risky ones.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French conservatif, from Latin cōnservō (“to preserve”). Equivalent to conserve + -ative.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"During the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, this commitment brought him into frequent critical confrontation with entrenched forms of conservative thinking (in academic areas from history and social science to the more abstract domains of ethical and political philosophy),[…]"
— 1999, Nicholas Walker, “The Reorientation of Critical Theory: Habermas”, in Simon Glemdinning, editor, The Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy, Routledge, →ISBN, page 489:
"If there’s a down side to the film, it’s that “Soros” probably doesn’t devote enough time to the way its subject has become a favorite bogeyman to conservatives that paint him as the guiding hand behind grassroots campaigns by those intent on discrediting them."
— 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:
"India is a conservative land. The gods do not change."
— 1923, Ernest Bramah, The Eyes of Max Carrados:
"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:
"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:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
My grandfather is very ____ and refuses to install any modern appliances in his home.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He adopted a more ____ approach to his stock investments, choosing safe options over risky ones.