Meaning of conservatism In English

• 0 the quality of not usually liking or trusting change, especially sudden change

• 1 the policies and beliefs of the Conservative party (= the British political party that traditionally supports business and opposes high taxes and government involvement) :

  • The politics of the newspaper reflect traditional Conservatism.

  • The Tories were out to show that they had shed pre-war Conservatism.

• 2 a tendency to preserve traditional values and oppose change, esp. in politics

• 3 the fact of avoiding risks that are unnecessary:

  • Banks are no longer thought of as paragons of financial conservatism.

  • Republican candidates have tried to highlight their fiscal conservatism.

• 4 a principle of accounting in which assets or profits are not shown in accounts as greater than they may actually be, and financial losses are not made to seem smaller than they are:

  • If a situation arises in which there are two acceptable alternatives for reporting an item, conservatism directs the accountant to choose the alternative that will result in less net income.