GUARDIANS Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

guardians

noun

plural of guardian

as in custodians

a person or group that watches over someone or something the state became his guardian when he was put into protective custody

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in keepers

a person who takes care of a property sometimes for an absent owner the guardians of the summer estate awaited the return of the tycoon

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in defenders

someone that protects the editor defended his newspaper's unrelenting exposure of government corruption, arguing that it is journalism's role to act as a guardian of democracy

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as in caregivers

a person who has responsibility for the care of another when her parents died, her aunt became her legal guardian

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of guardians Four students were involved in a physical fight Thursday morning, sending one student to a local hospital with undisclosed injuries, according to a message sent to parents and guardians. — Renee Anderson, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 When one of her for-hire guardians speaks of her past as a musician, playing the pianoforte (piano) for enraptured listeners, Adelaide is entranced. — Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 Every child under 18 with a Social Security number has an account in their name, but parents or guardians must claim the account on an app to receive a one-time deposit of $1,000. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Decades later, however, the guardians of the audio tapes were willing to work with Love Monday. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026 Health insurers, meanwhile, are tasked with being guardians of the health care dollar and master negotiators. — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026 That is, parents and other guardians are a child’s first teachers, and reading aloud to children contributes to their future literacy. — Alex H. Poole, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026 Martinez and Jesse became her legal guardians, and Martinez communicated every day with Rachelle’s mother, Maddison, who is still in prison. — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 In a dystopian Madrid where children become the legal guardians of their parents, María confronts the system when her mother is admitted to La edad menor, an irreversible process of infantilization. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for guardians

Noun

This includes medical staff at state prisons, technology specialists at California Highway Patrol and custodians at state hospitals.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Undeath have signed with those custodians of heavy music over at Relapse and debuted a new song for the label.

— Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of custodians

Noun

DeShields had 76 yards on 13 keepers, including a 7-yard touchdown scamper.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
The training keepers this summer — those who traveled and practiced with the USMNT throughout the World Cup but weren’t rostered — were Kochen and Andrew Rick, a 20-year-old Philadelphia Union backup.

— Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of keepers

Noun

No wonder, then, that members of some old syndicates now seek credit for barring such foreigners from their ranks, as though the yakuza were still defenders of a noble Japanese tradition.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
In keeping with the film‘s maximalist vibe, the noise around it keeps whipsawing in different directions, with defenders calling it a misunderstood masterpiece and detractors equally fervent in calling it a complete artistic disaster.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of defenders

Noun

The teen will need caregivers who can provide him with stability, boundaries and structure.

— The Star, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026
Chacon said Medicaid has helped cover almost $25,000 per month of care for her son, which includes a small stipend for her and her husband as compensation for being long-term caregivers.

— Mikella Schuettler, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of caregivers

Noun

The fan guards inside the walk-in cooler had accumulated dust.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The original 1971 experiment was conducted by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo, who arbitrarily split volunteers into two groups—inmates and guards—and observed how power corrupted them.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of guards

Noun

Absentee voting is available to the elderly, disabled people and their caretakers, and others.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
Osiris' caretakers noticed sudden changes in her behavior and breathing patterns the morning of her death, according to the aquarium.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of caretakers

Noun

According to the post, Kentucky State Police Aviation saw smoke in the area, and wardens and search and rescue personnel were able to access the location, near the headwaters of Cave Run Lake, using a boat.

— Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Sep. 2026
Game wardens did arrest nine people across Georgia for boating under the influence, the majority of whom were at Lake Lanier.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026