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Definition of conservative noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

conservative

noun
 
 
/kənˈsɜːvətɪv/
 
/kənˈsɜːrvətɪv/
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  1.  
     a conservative person
    • social/religious conservatives
    • The former Texas Supreme Court Justice's moderate record has angered hard-line conservatives for years.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • diehard
    • hard-line
    • staunch
    • …
    See full entry
  2. (usually Conservative)
    (abbreviation Con.)
     a member or supporter of the British Conservative Party
    • Senior Conservatives are opposed to the change.
    • disagreement among back-bench Conservatives
    Topics Politicsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • diehard
    • hard-line
    • staunch
    • …
    See full entry
    3. Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘aiming to preserve’): from late Latin conservativus, from conservat- ‘conserved’, from the verb conservare ‘to preserve’, from con- ‘together’ + servare ‘to keep’. Current senses date from the mid 19th cent.
See conservative in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee conservative in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: conservative

Nearby words

aspiration
noun
 
 
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