: something that preserves or has the power of preserving
specifically
: an additive used to protect against decay, discoloration, or spoilage
Examples of preservative in a Sentence
Noun
This food does not contain any artificial preservatives.
The wood was treated with preservative.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bymary Kekatos, ABC News, 10 July 2025
Advertisement That preservative—thimerosal—was used routinely in vaccines until 2001, when federal health officials decided to remove it from the majority of childhood vaccines.
—Alice Park, Time, 1 July 2025
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 3 July 2025
The group, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, voted Thursday to recommend annual single-dose flu vaccines to Americans and against influenza shots containing thimerosal – even though there is no evidence of harm from that preservative.
—Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for preservative
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Adjective
The document allegedly found there was no link between the preservative thimerosal in flu vaccines and autism.
—Bymary Kekatos, ABC News, 10 July 2025
Advertisement That preservative—thimerosal—was used routinely in vaccines until 2001, when federal health officials decided to remove it from the majority of childhood vaccines.
—Alice Park, Time, 1 July 2025
Noun
This is thanks to preservatives in the mix, including vinegar and sugar, as well as commercial preservatives.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 3 July 2025
The group, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, voted Thursday to recommend annual single-dose flu vaccines to Americans and against influenza shots containing thimerosal – even though there is no evidence of harm from that preservative.
—Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for preservative
Cite this Entry
“Preservative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preservative. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
preservative
1 of 2 adjective
pre·ser·va·tive
pri-ˈzər-vət-iv 
: having the power of preserving
preservative
2 of 2 noun
: something that preserves or has the power of preserving
especially
: a substance added to food to prevent spoiling or discoloring
Medical Definition
preservative
noun
pre·ser·va·tive
pri-ˈzər-vət-iv
: something that preserves or has the power of preserving
specifically
: an additive used to protect against decay, discoloration, or spoilage
a food preservative
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