conservatism
A political belief that society should keep many traditional values and institutions and avoid sudden major change.
A political philosophy, usually on the right, that favors preserving traditional institutions and values, social order, and often private enterprise and limited government.
A habit of liking old or familiar ways and not wanting things to change quickly.
A tendency to prefer established ideas, customs, or methods and to be cautious or doubtful about change.
Careful decision-making that uses safer assumptions instead of optimistic ones.
A deliberately cautious approach that avoids overstatement or unnecessary risk, especially when making estimates, forecasts, financial judgments, or technical decisions.
- Base: conservatism
- Plural: conservatism
accounting conservatism
1cautious accounting rule
A cautious accounting rule that records bad news earlier than good news.
- Accounting conservatism requires the company to recognize the likely loss before the lawsuit is settled.
- Investors sometimes value accounting conservatism because it reduces the risk of overstated profits.
- Accounting conservatism makes financial reports more cautious.
compassionate conservatism
1conservative social concern
A kind of conservatism that says conservative ideas can also help people in need.
- The campaign used the language of compassionate conservatism to reach moderate voters.
- Critics argued that compassionate conservatism sounded generous but did not provide enough public support.
- Compassionate conservatism tries to sound caring as well as conservative.
cultural conservatism
1protecting cultural traditions
The belief that a culture should protect its traditional values and ways of life.
- The debate reflected a wider mood of cultural conservatism in the country.
- His cultural conservatism made him suspicious of global entertainment trends.
- Cultural conservatism values old customs.
fiscal conservatism
1government budget restraint
The belief that governments should spend and borrow carefully and avoid large debts.
- The candidate promised fiscal conservatism and a return to balanced budgets.
- Some voters liked her fiscal conservatism but disagreed with her views on social policy.
- Fiscal conservatism means careful government spending.
national conservatism
1nationalist conservative politics
A kind of conservatism that puts the nation, borders, and national traditions at the center of politics.
- National conservatism has become more visible in several European elections.
- The speech combined national conservatism with promises to protect local industries.
- National conservatism focuses on the nation and its traditions.
one-nation conservatism
1British moderate conservatism
A British type of conservatism that says society should stay united and the rich should accept duties toward others.
- The prime minister described his agenda as one-nation conservatism.
- One-nation conservatism has often been contrasted with more market-driven forms of the ideology.
- One-nation conservatism is a British political idea.
small-c conservatism
1nonparty conservative attitude
A conservative attitude in everyday life, not necessarily support for a conservative political party.
- Her small-c conservatism made her skeptical of reorganizing the school.
- He has a streak of small-c conservatism, even though he has never voted for the Conservative Party.
- Small-c conservatism is not always party politics.
social conservatism
1traditional social values
The belief that society should keep traditional rules and values about family, religion, and personal behavior.
- The party's social conservatism appealed strongly to religious voters.
- Her economic views are moderate, but her social conservatism shapes her positions on education and family policy.
- Social conservatism is important to many voters.