conservative

Adjective Quotes--> Extra Examples--> She is a liberal Democrat who married a conservative Republican. She's more conservative now than she was in college. Noun Quotes--> Extra Examples--> His message is being well received by conservatives. proposed legislation that was opposed by conservatives throughout the state

Recent Examples on the Web

His ideology has proved so infectious among Gen Z that last year, disciples of his brand of politics appeared to have taken over dozens of campus conservative groups. — Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2024 Melania Trump received a $237,000 payment for speaking to the gay conservative group Log Cabin Republicans in April. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2024

Those identified as liberal favored it by 68% compared with 23% for conservatives, and those with lower incomes were more likely to favor it. — Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2024 The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, which describes itself as a nonprofit litigation organization dedicated to the rights of conservatives and libertarians, is leading the lawsuit. — Dennis Romero, NBC News, 14 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for conservative

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conservative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English conservatif "tending to protect or preserve," borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Late Latin conservātīvus, from Latin conservātus, past participle of conservāre "to save or keep from danger, preserve, keep unchanged" + -īvus -ive — more at conserve entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 1a