: 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
Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 17 May 2025
Most embalming techniques involve opening the body to insert preservative materials.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2025
Anuradha Varanasi, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
The label on Newman’s Own Caesar salad dressing said the product contained no artificial preservatives or flavors, no colors from an artificial source, and was gluten-free.
—David Hilzenrath, Miami Herald, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for preservative
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Adjective
Formaldehyde is a preservative and known carcinogen.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 17 May 2025
Most embalming techniques involve opening the body to insert preservative materials.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2025
Noun
What makes these products incredibly healthy are the food additives, preservatives, and colorants added during multiple stages of processing.
—Anuradha Varanasi, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
The label on Newman’s Own Caesar salad dressing said the product contained no artificial preservatives or flavors, no colors from an artificial source, and was gluten-free.
—David Hilzenrath, Miami Herald, 21 May 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 5 Jun. 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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