stewardship
noun
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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).
Examples of stewardship in a Sentence
Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 15 May 2025
Under his stewardship, the Smithsonian has done what America must continue to do—confront the contradictions in our founding, illuminate the fault lines in our systems, and still hold space for grace, for grit, for growth, for greatness.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 11 May 2025
Though several ecotourism operations in the area run similar experiences, local Ngäbe Indigenous guides offer the most meaningful window into this age-old practice, while also supporting local stewardship and sustainability of island resources.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 11 May 2025
Trump's re-entry into the White House was paved with promises of immediate recovery and boosted by the near-historically low confidence Americans held in Biden's stewardship of the economy.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stewardship
Cite this Entry
“Stewardship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stewardship. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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stewardship
noun
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