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Prepositions after adjectives

Conservative with, about, on, in, or of?

Conservative is used with different prepositions depending on meaning. Some combinations are standard, while others are limited or unnatural.

Quick answer

Which prepositions follow conservative?

Conservative with is common for careful use of money, time, or resources. Conservative about can describe cautious attitudes. Conservative on is used for opinions or policies. Conservative in may describe style or behaviour. Conservative of is not standard.

The company is conservative with spending.
She is conservative about sharing personal information.
The senator is conservative on tax policy.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
conservative with + resources/money

Being careful or restrained

Use conservative with for cautious use of something.

They are conservative with their budget.
He is conservative with water usage.
2
conservative about + action/topic

Showing caution about something

Conservative about describes a careful or restrained attitude.

Investors remain conservative about new technology.
3
conservative on + issue

Describing political or policy positions

Use conservative on for views relating to specific issues.

The party is conservative on immigration.
4
conservative in + style/approach

Describing manner or style

Conservative in can describe the area in which someone is traditional or cautious.

The firm is conservative in its hiring practices.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
conservative with
She is conservative with company expenses.
careful in using resources
conservative about
They are conservative about risk-taking.
cautious or restrained regarding something
conservative on
He is conservative on social issues.
holding traditional views on a topic
conservative in
The brand is conservative in design.
traditional or cautious in a particular area
conservative of
They are protective of traditions.
of is not normally used directly after conservative

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using conservative of

Of is not a standard complement after conservative.

✕ She is conservative of her investments. ✓ She is conservative with her investments.

Using with for opinions

On is more natural for political or policy views.

✕ The minister is conservative with foreign policy. ✓ The minister is conservative on foreign policy.

Confusing about and with

With focuses on use of resources, while about focuses on attitudes or caution.

✕ They are conservative with discussing salaries. ✓ They are conservative about discussing salaries.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The company is very conservative ___ spending.
2. She is conservative ___ social issues.
3. The school remains conservative ___ its teaching methods.

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Frequently asked questions

Can conservative be followed by with?

Yes. Conservative with is common for careful use of money, time, or resources.

What does conservative on mean?

It describes traditional or cautious opinions about a specific issue or policy area.

Is conservative of correct?

No. Of is not normally used directly after conservative.

calm, in, calm, for, calm, about "candid about" or "candid in"? capable of or in? careful about, with, of, in or on? careless about, with, in, of or on? caribbean in, for, with, to or on? "catastrophic for" or "catastrophic to"? "cautious about" or "cautious in"? celtic in, for, on, at or to? central to, in, for, at or of? "certain of" or "certain about"? "challenging for" or "challenging of"?

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