stewardship

noun

stew·​ard·​ship ˈstü-ərd-ˌship 

ˈstyü-;

ˈst(y)u̇rd-

1

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

stewardship of natural resources

Across the globe, hotels like this one are embracing sustainable and purposeful landscape designs as part of a broader commitment to environmental stewardship.

—Christine Chitnis

Under Moore's stewardship the store coasted along on its own momentum until the stock market crash of 1929.

—Hudson Bridges (Jay Jacobs)

2

: the office, duties, and obligations of a steward

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 of stewardship

• management
• supervision
• handling
• administration
• operation
• control
• oversight
• governance
• government
• direction

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

In Ghana, for instance, the ten shrines of the Asante Traditional Buildings are endangered as traditional stewardship by master craftspeople declines. — News Desk, Artforum, 2 Oct. 2026

Rage is not a worthwhile substitute for smart, prescient and responsible stewardship of an absolutely necessary ingredient of modern life. — Rick Nicita, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026

Under their stewardship, the museum has seen its highest attendance and membership levels since before the COVID-19 pandemic. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Her major priorities include fiscal stewardship, student outcomes and transparent governance. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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