conservative
adjective
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Definition of conservative
(Entry 1 of 2)
conservative
nounDefinition of conservative (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for conservative
Synonyms: Adjective
archconservative, brassbound, button-down (or buttoned-down), die-hard, hidebound, mossbacked, old-fashioned, old-line, old-school, orthodox, paleoconservative, reactionary, standpat, traditional, traditionalistic, ultraconservative, unprogressive
Synonyms: Noun
archconservative, paleoconservative, reactionary, rightist, right-winger, Tory, traditionalist
Antonyms: Adjective
broad-minded, large-minded, liberal, nonconservative, nonconventional, nonorthodox, nontraditional, open-minded, progressive, unconventional, unorthodox
Antonyms: Noun
leftist, left-winger, lefty, liberal, progressive
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Examples of conservative in a Sentence
Adjective
She is a liberal Democrat who married a conservative Republican. She's more conservative now than she was in college.Noun
His message is being well received by conservatives. proposed legislation that was opposed by conservatives throughout the state
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
In other words, my projection for him of 6.4 touchdowns (fourth-most amongst TEs) could prove to be too conservative. — Kevin Hanson, SI.com, "Fantasy Football 2019: Tight End Rankings and Auction Prices," 1 Aug. 2019 In the House, where Pelosi was struggling to hold together a diverse caucus, moderate and conservative Democrats, many of whom consider immigration a risky issue, saw an opportunity. — Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, "The Democrats’ Immigration Problem Is Bigger Than Donald Trump," 25 July 2019 Trump won in 2016 by tapping into Midwestern voters who were socially conservative and economically nationalist. — John Burtka Iv, Twin Cities, "John Burtka: Under Trump, a very different agenda for conservatives emerges," 25 July 2019 Liberal Democrats — particularly those who identify as very liberal — favor Medicare for All, but fewer than half of moderate and conservative Democrats do. — Jennifer De Pinto, Anthony Salvanto, CBS News, "Health care: Democrats say focus should be on costs — CBS News Battleground Tracker poll," 21 July 2019 Republicans denounce the chanting Some Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators also condemned the chant, but still shared their disagreement with the rhetoric and the policies of progressive Democrats, including Omar. — Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, "What we know about the 'send her back' chants that erupted at Trump's North Carolina rally," 18 July 2019 Other cities were more conservative in their projections. — Paulina Pineda, azcentral, "Scottsdale expects to generate millions more in revenue this year. What do other cities project?," 15 July 2019 Just as the white majority substantially increases in Collin, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Kaufman and Rockwall counties, residents there are also more conservative. — Jennifer Emily, Dallas News, "Amber Guyger more likely to draw white, conservative jury if trial for killing Botham Jean is moved," 14 July 2019 The poll shows Biden remains the top choice for African American voters, as well as older Democrats and those who describe themselves as moderate or conservative. — Tyler Pager, BostonGlobe.com, "Biden keeps his lead as Warren gains ground in new NBC/WSJ poll," 11 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
But a more partisan controversy began to erupt as two lines from the script that had appeared in a Hollywood Reporter story, suggesting the movie was mocking conservatives, began making the rounds online. — Washington Post, "Trump weighed in on a movie, then the studio canceled it. Now the director has something to say.," 19 Aug. 2019 The Kochs sponsor candidates, think tanks, advocacy groups and academic groups pushing a conservative, free-market agenda. — Tom Maloneybloomberg, Los Angeles Times, "Koch Industries bets on tech: ‘Do it or we’ll end up in the Dumpster’," 19 Aug. 2019 Now, this gives conservatives — who are at present, at best, adrift on Social Security policy — some room to maneuver. — Andrew G. Biggs, National Review, "How the Democrats’ Social Security Plan Could Finance a Tax Cut," 15 Aug. 2019 Focusing on The Hunt was a way of pointing the finger back at the left and arguing that Hollywood, not conservatives, were the real advocates of political violence. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Right Wing Attacks on The Hunt Are a Bad Faith Distraction," 13 Aug. 2019 Logan, that blustering bear of a staunch conservative, wants to fight the future. — Emily Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "Succession season 2: 4 winners and 4 losers from the premiere," 12 Aug. 2019 Günther has a reputation as a fairly liberal conservative, heading a federal government coalition with the Liberals and the Greens. — Quartz Africa, "Even after acknowledging the Namibia genocide of WWI, Germany still hasn’t learned the key lesson," 10 Aug. 2019 But those efforts are also running into trouble from conservatives, who worry about due process and infringing on gun owners' rights. — NBC News, "Hundreds of mayors urge Senate to return for gun bill vote," 8 Aug. 2019 But those efforts are also running into trouble from conservatives, who worry about due process and infringing on gun owners' rights. — CBS News, "Over 200 mayors push Senate leaders to return to Washington to act on gun reform," 8 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conservative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.