stewardship

noun

stew·​ard·​ship ˈstü-ərd-ˌship 

ˈstyü-;

ˈst(y)u̇rd-

1

: the office, duties, and obligations of a steward

2

: the conducting, supervising, or managing of something

especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care

stewardship of natural resources

Did you know?

Good Stewardship

When stewardship first appeared in English during the Middle Ages, it functioned as a job description, denoting the office of a steward, or manager of a large household. Over the centuries, its range of reference spread to the oversight of law courts, employee unions, college dining halls, Masonic lodges, and many other organizations. In recent years, the long-established "management" sense of stewardship has evolved a positive meaning, “careful and responsible management.” This sense is commonly found nowadays in contexts such as “stewardship of the environment, the family business,” etc. It also occasionally appears as an adjective in phrases such as “stewardship fundraising" (that is, fundraising aimed at building good relationships with donors in order to keep them loyal).

Synonyms

• administration
• care
• charge
• conduct
• control
• direction
• governance
• government
• guidance
• handling
• intendance
• management
• operation
• oversight
• presidency
• regulation
• running
• superintendence
• superintendency
• supervision

Examples of stewardship in a Sentence

generally the dean left the day-to-day stewardship of the college to the assistant dean

she believes that stewardship of the environment is everyone's responsibility

Recent Examples on the Web

The Clearwater Award is presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production. —Paul Grein, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2025

The name ‘Hover’ Energy name is both literally and symbolically a nod to the magnetically levitated turbines that ‘hover’ over rooftops; a reflection of this visionary founder’s deep belief in stewardship. —Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025

This isn’t the only campaign that aims to balance sustainable tourism with environmental stewardship. —Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 13 Feb. 2025

Under her stewardship, the Bears reached new heights, including their historic Super Bowl win in 1985, which remains the franchise's only victory in the modern era. —Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stewardship

• authorship
• battleship
• censorship
• chairmanship
• chieftainship
• comradeship
• consulship
• craftsmanship
• dealership
• draftsmanship
• fellowship
• fingertip

Kids Definition

stewardship

noun

stew·​ard·​ship ˈst(y)ü-ərd-ˌship 

ˈst(y)u̇(-ə)rd-

1

: the office and duties of a steward

2

: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care

stewardship of our natural resources