From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishconservativecon‧ser‧va‧tive1 /kənˈsɜːvətɪv $ -ɜːr-/ ●●○ adjective 1 CHANGE/BECOME DIFFERENTnot liking changes or new ideas a very conservative attitude to education conservative views2 → Conservative3 CONVENTIONALnot very modern in style, taste etc SYN traditional a dark conservative suit4 → a conservative estimate/guess —conservatively adverb a fortune conservatively estimated at 2 million dollars He was conservatively dressed in a dark business suit.
Examples from the Corpus
conservative• June's parents were very conservative and wouldn't allow her to date till she was 18.• Despite Dave's quiet, conservative appearance, he has a wicked sense of humor.• They are as morally conservative as their parents.• middle-aged men in conservative business suits• Even conservative dressers should update their wardrobes from time to time.• On a conservative estimate, there are now about 5,000 books or articles that deal with it, at least in part.• a conservative newspaper columnist• Dear old staid, conservative, non-violent Britain.• a conservative rural community• The left is hardly vigorous today; and, for the moment, there seems little chance of mobilizing a conservative society.• But this latest phase has now also emboldened Bush to press forward with his agenda in strong, conservative strokes.• They're also fairly conservative when it comes to social attitudes.ConservativeConservativePPGbelonging to or concerned with the Conservative Party in Britain Conservative policies a Conservative MP → conservativeconservativeconservative2 noun [countable] 1 → Conservative2 CHANGE/BECOME DIFFERENTsomeone who does not like changes in politics, ideas, or fashion an argument between reformers and conservatives in the organizationExamples from the Corpus
conservative• According to a recent poll, the governor has lost support among conservatives.• He, the apparent conservative, is the wild tiger, it turns out.• But there are conservatives, who, while acknowledging the successes of quantum mechanical methods, caution against complacency.• But the Rehnquist court is supposed to be composed of conservatives.• Phil Gramm of Texas made speeches in which they wholeheartedly embraced the agenda of religious conservatives.• They ranged across the political spectrum from rightwing conservatives to left-wing socialists.• Both men are staunch conservatives, but of the two Lott is the more ideological and aggressive.ConservativeConservativePPGsomeone who supports or is a member of the Conservative Party in Britain → conservativeFrom Longman Business Dictionaryconservativecon‧ser‧va‧tive /kənˈsɜːvətɪv-ɜːr-/ adjective1careful to avoid taking risksHe would be better taking a conservative approach to his new mortgage and opting for a fixed rate.2careful not to state a value or amount to be bigger or smaller than it actually might beFor the purposes of our valuation we have used a conservative forecast of £8 million.Realization of the asset would bring in, at a conservative estimate, around £15,000 extra income. 