Basic Details
Word: Conservative
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Preferring old ways and slow change to new ideas, or careful and on the low side, as in a conservative guess.
Synonyms: traditional, cautious
Antonyms: modern, progressive
How to Spell Conservative
Syllables: con - ser - va - tive
Tricky part: The vowel after v is a, not i: va-tive. The first vowel after cons is e.
Watch out for: conservitive, consevative, conservetive
Memory tip: Conservation and conservative share the same start, conserva. Keep the a from conservation when you write tive.
Usage Examples
Example 1: My grandmother is conservative about food and likes the old family recipes.
Example 2: A conservative guess is that two hundred people came to the fair.
Example 3: He wore a plain, conservative suit to the interview.
Fun Fact
In Britain, the Conservative Party is one of the two main political parties, and its members are often called Tories.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
conservative
a) old-fashioned
b) traditional
c) progressive
d) cautious
Show answer
c) progressive. Progressive means open to new ideas; old-fashioned, traditional and cautious are all close to conservative.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
cons_rv_tive
a) e, a
b) i, e
c) e, i
d) a, a
Show answer
a) e, a. It is ser, then va, then tive.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
vervaticones
a) conservative
b) conversation
c) conservatory
d) conservation
Show answer
a) conservative. Two v's and two e's are given, which only conservative uses.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A conservative estimate of a crowd is one that is ____.
a) made up for fun
b) wildly high
c) always exact
d) careful and on the low side
Show answer
d) careful and on the low side
2. A person with conservative tastes in clothes is likely to choose ____.
a) simple, traditional outfits
b) the newest trends only
c) clothes with flashing lights
d) very bright, unusual costumes
Show answer
a) simple, traditional outfits
