Meaning & use
semi-conservative
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Partly traditional and partly open to change, especially in politics or religion.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a semi-conservative party, a semi-conservative view.
Patterns
- a semi-conservative party
- a semi-conservative position
The paper called the new leader semi-conservative on tax.
Her semi-conservative views on family life surprised her friends.
The group is semi-conservative, backing some reforms but not all.
adjectivebefore a nounbiologytechnical
Describing a way DNA copies itself so each new molecule keeps one old strand and one new one.
Grammar: A technical term in biology; usually before a noun: semi-conservative replication.
Patterns
- semi-conservative replication
- semi-conservative copying
The experiment showed that DNA replication is semi-conservative.
Students learn about semi-conservative replication in their biology course.
This semi-conservative model explains why each daughter molecule has one original strand.
Common combinations
- semi-conservative replication
- The textbook explains semi-conservative replication with a simple diagram.
- semi-conservative party
- The semi-conservative party promised small changes, not big ones.
- semi-conservative approach
- Their semi-conservative approach to reform pleased few people.
- semi-conservative views
- He holds semi-conservative views on education.
- a semi-conservative model
- Scientists proposed a semi-conservative model of how DNA is copied.
Synonyms and how they differ
- moderate
- Moderate means not extreme in general; semi-conservative stresses a mix of old and new ideas.
- centrist
- Centrist is mainly about politics and the middle ground; semi-conservative can also describe religion or science.
Opposites
Word family
- conservative adjective
- Wanting to keep traditional ways and avoid sudden change.
- conservatism noun
- The belief in keeping traditional values and institutions.
- conservatively adverb
- In a careful, traditional way.
Commonly confused: semi-conservative or conservative?
semi-conservative vs conservative
Conservative means fully traditional; semi-conservative means only partly so, with some openness to change.
Practice
Which sentence uses "semi-conservative" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Semi-conservative" is an adjective meaning partly traditional, so it fits before a noun like "party." Option 0 is wrong because "always refused every change" describes a fully conservative person, not a partly traditional one. Options 2 and 3 use the word as if it were a comparative or a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “semi-conservative”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.