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Lexicon.

conservatism

noun [kənˈsɝvəˌtɪzəm]
pronunciation CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, open source

Conservatism is a political and social outlook that values tradition, stable institutions and gradual change, and in everyday use also a cautious preference for what is familiar.

source Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

Definitions

  1. In politics: a set of beliefs that puts weight on order, continuity, inherited customs and institutions such as the family, the church and the nation, and that prefers slow, tested reform to sweeping plans for remaking society.
    source Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)
  2. In general use: a cautious attitude to anything new, a habit of sticking with familiar ways, tastes or methods until there is a strong reason to change them.
    source Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)
  3. In finance, medicine and science: a deliberate preference for careful estimates and low risk, as in the conservatism of an accounting report or of a treatment plan.
    source Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

Examples

Usage

Like liberalism, conservatism changes its meaning from country to country, so it pays to add a qualifier. Fiscal or economic conservatism stresses balanced budgets and low taxes. Social or cultural conservatism defends traditional views on family, religion and morals. In the United States the label usually covers both, while in parts of Europe a conservative party may be strongly traditional on social questions and yet support a large welfare state. Say which strand you mean when you use the word.

source Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

Webster (1913) defines conservatism as a disposition to keep what is established, opposition to change, and the mental habit or conduct of a conservative. Under the adjective conservative it gives three senses: having power to preserve something whole or safe from loss, tending to maintain existing institutions, and belonging to a party that favours them, such as the Conservative party in England, set against Liberal and Radical. It also quotes the Quarterly Review of 1830, which says the Tory party might better be called Conservative.

source Editorial team; facts: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

The word is also common outside politics, and there it is usually neutral or even praise. A conservative estimate is one that deliberately stays on the safe side, so the real figure is likely to be higher, not lower. Engineers, doctors and accountants speak of conservatism when they choose wider safety margins or more cautious assumptions. In art, music and fashion, by contrast, calling someone conservative often suggests a lack of daring, so the tone depends a great deal on context.

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The noun often goes with fiscal, social, cultural, religious, political and compassionate, and voters may embrace, defend or abandon it. Its supporters are called conservatives, and a newer American movement is called neoconservatism. Conservatism is usually contrasted with liberalism, radicalism and progressivism. Do not confuse it with conservation, which means protecting nature or keeping something from being wasted, even though both words come from the same verb, conserve.

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Word forms

Regular English noun, usually uncountable; the plural conservatisms is rare and refers to different kinds or national versions of the outlook.

word forms

przypadek forma
singular conservatism
plural conservatisms

Word forms: Editorial team

Collocations

Synonyms · Antonyms

Synonyms traditionalism, conventionalism, caution (in the general sense)
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Antonyms liberalism, radicalism, progressivism
source Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

Etymology

Conservatism adds the suffix -ism to the stem of conservative; Webster (1913) compares conservative with French conservatif. Skeat lists conservatism, conservative and conservation among the derivatives of the verb conserve, which came into English from Old and Modern French conserver and is found in Chaucer. The French verb goes back to Latin conservare, formed from con-, for cum, with, fully, and servare, to keep.
source W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open source
also Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

Related words

Related entries

Questions and answers

What does conservatism mean?

In politics it is an outlook that values tradition, order and gradual reform over rapid change; in everyday speech it means caution and a preference for familiar ways.

source Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

How did older dictionaries define conservatism?

Webster (1913) describes it as the tendency to preserve what is already established, as opposition to change, and as the typical habit of mind or conduct of a conservative person.

source Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

Where does the word conservatism come from?

It grows out of conservative and the verb conserve, which Skeat traces through French conserver to Latin conservare, from con-, fully, and servare, to keep.

source W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open source

Is conservatism the same as conservation?

No. Conservatism is a political or personal attitude, while conservation means protecting nature, buildings or resources. The two words share the verb conserve but are used in different contexts.

source Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)