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

Wines to try: Revelation by Goose Chardonnay 23 Revelation by Goose Ridge Rose 23 Revelation by Goose Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 23 Farther afield in New Zealand, the Marris family at Marisco Family Vineyards is upholding three generations of producing wines through dedicated environmental stewardship. —Lana Bortolot, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025

Since then, Earth Day has become an annual reflection on environmental stewardship. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025

While the current board includes professionals with expertise in real estate and business management, my background as a biologist and educator adds a critical voice focused on water quality, biodiversity, and environmental stewardship. —Kate Marijolovic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2025

So much for conservative values and good stewardship. —Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 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