conservative

See also: Conservative

English

Etymology

From Middle French conservatif, from Latin conservare

Noun

conservative (plural conservatives)

1. A person who favors maintenance of the status quo.
   1. (politics) One who opposes changes to the traditional institutions of their country.
   2. (US, politics) A political conservative.
   3. (US, economics) A fiscal conservative.
   4. (US, social sciences) A social conservative.

Synonyms

• traditionalist
• right-winger
• reactionary

Hyponyms

• small-c conservative

Coordinate terms

• moderate, liberal, progressive, libertarian, centrist

Translations

one who favors the status quo

• Arabic: مُحَافِظ‎‎ m (muḥāfiẓ)
• Armenian: պահպանողական (hy) (pahpanołakan)
• Bulgarian: консерватор (bg) m (konservator)
• Danish: konservativ (da)
• Finnish: vanhoillinen (fi), konservatiivi (fi)
• Galician: conservador (gl) m
• Georgian: კონსერვატორი (ḳonservaṭori), რეაქციონერი (reakcioneri)
• German: Konservativer (de) m
• Greek: συντηρητικός (el) m (syntiritikós)

• Hebrew: שמרן‎‎ m (shamran), שמרנית‎‎ f (shamranyt)
• Icelandic: íhaldssinni
• Irish: coimeádach m
• Norman: consèrvateu m
• Portuguese: conservador (pt) m
• Romanian: conservator (ro) m, conservatoare (ro) f
• Russian: консерва́тор (ru) m (konservátor)
• Yiddish: קאָסערוואַטאָר‎‎ m (koservator)

UK: member of the Conservative party

• Armenian: պահպանողական (hy) (pahpanołakan)
• Bulgarian: консерватор (bg) m (konservator)
• Finnish: konservatiivi (fi)
• Georgian: კონსერვატორი (ḳonservaṭori)
• German: Konservativer (de) m, Konvervative f
• Greek: συντηρητικός (el) m (syntiritikós)

• Norman: consèrvateu m
• Portuguese: conservador (pt) m
• Romanian: conservator (ro) m, conservatoare (ro) f
• Russian: консерва́тор (ru) m (konservátor)
• Swedish: konservativ (sv) c (chiefly used in the plural)

fiscal conservative

• Armenian: պահպանողական (hy) (pahpanołakan)
• Finnish: vanhoillinen (fi), konservatiivi (fi)
• Georgian: კონსერვატორი (ḳonservaṭori)
• Greek: συντηρητικός (el) m (syntiritikós)

• Polish: konserwatywny (pl)
• Russian: консерва́тор (ru) m (konservátor)
• Yiddish: קאָסערוואַטאָר‎‎ m (koservator)

political conservative

• Armenian: պահպանողական (hy) (pahpanołakan)
• Finnish: vanhoillinen (fi), konservatiivi (fi)
• Georgian: კონსერვატორი (ḳonservaṭori)
• Greek: συντηρητικός (el) m (syntiritikós)
• Hebrew: שמרן‎‎ m (shamran), שמרנית‎‎ f (shamranyt)
• Hungarian: konzervatív (hu)
• Korean: 보수주의자 (bosujuuija), 보수주의자 (bosujuuija)
• Malay: konservatif

• Polish: konserwatywny (pl)
• Portuguese: conservador (pt) m
• Romanian: conservator (ro) m, conservatoare (ro) f
• Russian: консерва́тор (ru) m (konservátor)
• Spanish: conservador (es) m
• Swedish: konservativ (sv) c (chiefly used in the plural)
• Yiddish: קאָסערוואַטאָר‎‎ m (koservator)

social conservative

• Armenian: պահպանողական (hy) (pahpanołakan)
• Finnish: vanhoillinen (fi), konservatiivi (fi)
• Georgian: კონსერვატორი (ḳonservaṭori)
• Greek: συντηρητικός (el) m (syntiritikós)

• Hebrew: שמרן‎‎ m (shamran), שמרנית‎‎ f (shamranyt)
• Russian: консерва́тор (ru) m (konservátor)
• Yiddish: קאָסערוואַטאָר‎‎ m (koservator)

Canadian conservative

• Finnish: konservatiivi (fi)
• French: conservateur (fr)

• Russian: консерва́тор (ru) m (konservátor)

Adjective

conservative (comparative more conservative, superlative most conservative)

1. Cautious.
2. Tending to resist change or innovation.

   The curriculum committee at this university is extremely conservative.

3. Based on pessimistic assumptions.

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

4. (US, economics, politics, social sciences) Supporting some combination of fiscal, political or social conservatism.
5. (Britain, politics) Relating to the Conservative Party.
   • 1830, Quarterly Rev.

     We have always been conscientiously attached to what is called the Tory, and which might with more propriety be called the Conservative, party.

6. (physics, not comparable) Neither creating nor destroying a given quantity.
7. Having power to preserve in a safe or entire state, or from loss, waste, or injury; preservative.
8. (Judaism) Relating to Conservative Judaism.
9. (clothing) Conventional, traditional, and moderate in style and appearance; not extreme, excessive, faddish, or intense.
10. (medicine) Not including any operation or intervention (said of a treatment, see conservative treatment)
    • 2000, G. Puddu et al., "Achilles Tendon Injuries" in The Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine, →ISBN, page 200:

      Operative treatment should be reserved for those patients in whom conservative treatment has failed and who are motivated with regard to sports.

Quotations

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:conservative.

Related terms

• anticonservative
• Conservative
• conserve
• conservationist
• conservatism
• conservator
• fiscal conservative
• political conservative
• social conservative
• small-c conservative

Translations

cautious — see cautious

tending to resist change

• Arabic: مُحافِظ‎‎ (muḥāfiẓ)
• Armenian: պահպանողական (hy) (pahpanołakan)
• Bulgarian: консервативен (bg) (konservativen)
• Catalan: conservador
• Czech: konzervativní (cs)
• Danish: konservativ (da)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} konservativa
• Finnish: vanhoillinen (fi), konservatiivinen (fi)
• French: conservateur (fr)
• German: konservativ (de)

• Greek: συντηρητικός (el) m (syntiritikós)
• Hebrew: שמרני‎‎ m (shamrany), שמרנית‎‎ f (shamranyt)
• Irish: coimeádach
• Italian: conservatore (it) m, conservatrice (it) f
• Persian: محافظه‌کار‎‎ (mohâfeze-kâr)
• Polish: konserwatywny (pl) m, zachowawczy (pl) m
• Portuguese: conservador (pt)
• Romanian: conservator (ro)
• Russian: консервати́вный (ru) (konservatívnyj)
• Swedish: bakåtsträvande, gammaldags (sv), konservativ (sv)
• Thai: หัวโบราณ (th) (hǔua-boo-raan)

based on pessimistic assumptions

• Bulgarian: умерен (bg) (umeren), внимателен (bg) (vnimatelen)
• Finnish: varovainen (fi), konservatiivinen (fi)
• French: prudent (fr)
• Greek: επιφυλακτικός (el) m (epifylaktikós), μετριοπαθής (el) m (metriopathís)
• Italian: prudente (it)

• Portuguese: conservador (pt), prudente (pt)
• Romanian: conservator (ro), precaut (ro), prudent (ro)
• Russian: уме́ренный (ru) (umérennyj)
• Spanish: conservador (es)

supporting fiscal, political or social conservatism

• Arabic: مُحافِظ‎‎ (muḥāfiẓ)
• Armenian: պահպանողական (hy) (pahpanołakan)
• Bulgarian: консервативен (bg) (konservativen)
• Catalan: conservador
• Esperanto: konservativa
• Finnish: vanhoillinen (fi), konservatiivinen (fi)
• Greek: συντηρητικός (el) m (syntiritikós)
• Persian: محافظه‌کار‎‎ (mohâfeze-kâr)

• Polish: konserwatywny (pl) m
• Portuguese: conservador (pt)
• Romanian: conservator (ro)
• Russian: консервати́вный (ru) (konservatívnyj)
• Spanish: conservador (es)
• Swedish: konservativ (sv)
• Yiddish: קאָנסערוואַטיוו‎‎ (konservativ)

US: relating to the Republican party

• Catalan: republicà (ca)
• Finnish: republikaaninen (fi)
• Greek: ρεπουμπλικανός (el) m (repoumplikanós)
• Portuguese: republicano (pt)

• Romanian: republican (ro)
• Russian: республика́нский (ru) (respublikánskij)
• Swedish: republikansk (sv)

UK: relating to the Conservative party

• Catalan: conservador
• Finnish: konservatiivinen (fi)
• Greek: συντηρητικός (el) m (syntiritikós)

• Romanian: conservator (ro)
• Russian: консервати́вный (ru) (konservatívnyj)

physics: neither creating nor destroying a given quantity

See also

• conservative on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Labour Party
• liberal
• Republican party
• Tory

Anagrams

• conversative

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French

Adjective

conservative

1. feminine singular of conservatif

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Italian

Adjective

conservative f pl

1. feminine plural of conservativo

Anagrams

• conservatevi

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Latin

Adjective

conservātive

1. vocative masculine singular of conservātivus

References

• conservative in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)