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

Through this approach, Vision Marine is accelerating the advancement and widespread adoption of electric boating, promoting a future where efficiency, performance, and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. —Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2024

In addition to providing meals to those in need, Shady Rays also supports movements addressing everything from cancer research and social inequity to climate change and environmental stewardship. —Kyle Russell, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024

For future public servants—especially those living in communities, such as ours, in Gary, Indiana, that are facing challenges—this story encourages good stewardship. —The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Because of these factors, sustainability financing has emerged as a solution to green the operations of data centers and weave together environmental stewardship goals with the increasing demand for digital infrastructure. —Phillip Marangella, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Several board members and scores of staff members have left in the past several years in protest of Schlapp's leadership and financial stewardship. —Patrick Svitek and Isaac Arnsdorf The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 28 Mar. 2024

Julie Gould and Beth Kelly took over stewardship of Ojibway’s enchanting fairyland almost two years ago, enlisting Scout troops and students to help with the upkeep. —Cathy Free, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

After steadily adding vineyard sites and improving its winery facilities under the stewardship of the Otis family, Matthews experienced an enormous change in 2021, when proprietor Bryan Otis hired the entire winemaking team from Quilceda Creek. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2024

Failures of environmental stewardship are common across a country with severe pollution and an acute need for economic growth to provide for 1.4 billion people, spanning political parties and India’s north-south divide. —Damien Cave Atul Loke, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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