Conservative

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈsɜːvətɪv/

Definitions

1. Favoring traditional values and cautious about change or innovation
2. Emphasizing the importance of preserving established traditions while being cautious about rapid social changes
3. Supporting established customs and preferring slow or careful adaptation rather than radical change

Etymology: Latin "cōnservāre" meant to keep something whole, to preserve it intact, and the English adjective "conservative" grew out of that sense of保持 safeguarding. The word came into English by way of Middle French "conservatif," which itself descends from the Latin verb, so its core idea of keeping things as they are has changed very little across the centuries. What has shifted is the object being kept: the verb once applied to goods, health and buildings, while the adjective now describes a disposition toward institutions and customs. The word is built from "conserve," which passed through Latin and French with the same root meaning, plus the suffix "-ative," a common English-adjective ending that turns a verb stem into a describer of tendency or quality. A "conservative" person is therefore, almost literally, one inclined to conserve.

Synonyms: traditional, cautious, prudent, right-wing, reactionary

Antonyms: liberal, progressive, radical, avant-garde, innovative