What does "preservative" mean?

Any agent, natural or artificial, that acts to preserve, especially when added to food.

What is a synonym for "preservative"?

Common synonyms include: additive, additives, antioxidant, backward, brine, conservational.

Pronounced //prɪˈzəːvətɪv//.

/prɪˈzəːvətɪv/ adj, noun

adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
Any agent, natural or artificial, that acts to preserve, especially when added to food.
"Salt, sugar, and acid all act as preservatives when making pickles."
2
a chemical compound that is added to protect against decay or decomposition wordnet

Adjective

1
Tending to preserve.
"The curators took preservative actions to maintain the ancient collection."

Adjective

"Is benzoic acid safe as a food preservative?"

From Old French preservatif, from Medieval Latin praeservativus.