: 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
Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Summer temperatures in Andalusia routinely exceeded one hundred degrees, and though the underbudgeted archive lacked air conditioning, the dryness of the air in Seville had a preservative effect.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Annie Levin, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
The preservative appears in foods such as cereals, frozen meals, cookies, candy, ice cream and some meat products.
—Siddhi Mahatole, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preservative
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Adjective
What’s not in it is the alphabet soup of preservative enhancements that the health-minded crowd tries to avoid.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Summer temperatures in Andalusia routinely exceeded one hundred degrees, and though the underbudgeted archive lacked air conditioning, the dryness of the air in Seville had a preservative effect.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
Aidan Dewar, the CEO of the start-up Telenutrition, and the food blogger Vani Hari spoke on the health benefits of nourishing food and the dangers of additives and preservatives.
—Annie Levin, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
The preservative appears in foods such as cereals, frozen meals, cookies, candy, ice cream and some meat products.
—Siddhi Mahatole, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preservative
Cite this Entry
“Preservative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preservative. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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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