Meaning & use
preserved
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“preserved” is a form of “preserve”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Protected something from damage or loss so that it stays in good condition or in its original form.
Grammar: Past tense and past participle of preserve; always takes an object: they preserved the building.
Patterns
- preserve something
- preserve something from something
Volunteers preserved the old mill and turned it into a museum.
The dry desert air preserved the ancient scrolls for centuries.
She preserved her grandmother's letters in a fireproof box.
verbtransitive
Treated food, such as by salting, pickling or canning, so that it would not go bad.
Grammar: Takes an object; the food is what is treated: we preserved the plums.
Patterns
- preserve something in something
- preserve something with something
We preserved the summer berries in jars of syrup.
Sailors once preserved meat in salt for long voyages.
He preserved the lemons in brine and used them all winter.
adjectivebefore a noun
Kept in good condition or in a form that does not decay, often because of special treatment.
Grammar: Often comes before a noun or after be: preserved fruit, or the ruins are well preserved.
Patterns
- well preserved
- perfectly preserved
The museum displays a remarkably well preserved Roman helmet.
Preserved lemons add a sharp, salty flavor to stews.
The explorers found a perfectly preserved ship at the bottom of the lake.
Word forms
| base form | preserve |
|---|---|
| third person singular | preserves |
| -ing form | preserving |
Common combinations
- well preserved
- The village is remarkably well preserved.
- perfectly preserved
- Scientists found a perfectly preserved mammoth in the ice.
- preserved in amber
- The insect was preserved in amber for millions of years.
- preserved for future generations
- The forest was preserved for future generations.
- carefully preserved
- The manuscripts were carefully preserved in a cool vault.
Synonyms and how they differ
- protected
- Protected stresses keeping something safe from harm, while preserved stresses that it stays in its original state.
- conserved
- Conserved is more formal and common in nature or heritage work, with an emphasis on careful use and repair.
- maintained
- Maintained suggests ongoing upkeep so something keeps working, not that it is frozen in its original state.
- kept
- Kept is the plain everyday word, with none of the idea of stopping decay.
Opposites
Word family
- preservation noun
- the act of keeping something safe or unchanged
- preservative noun
- a substance added to stop food from going bad
- preserver noun
- a person or thing that preserves, as in life preserver
- preservable adjective
- able to be preserved
Commonly confused: preserved or perserved? preserved or reserved?
preserved vs perserved
Perserved is a misspelling. The correct word is preserved, spelled pre-serve-d, with the e before the r.
preserved vs reserved
Reserved means kept for a particular person or use, or shy and quiet. It does not mean protected from decay.
Practice
The cold, dry cave _____ the paintings for thousands of years.
Choose one answer.
Preserved means kept in good condition, which fits the cave protecting the paintings. Pressed, presented and proved do not make sense with this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “preserved”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.