Word of the Day

: January 27, 2026

fiduciary

adjective fuh-DOO-shee-air-ee

What It Means

Fiduciary is a formal word describing something relating to or involving trust, such as the trust between a customer and a professional.

// The bank's fiduciary obligations are clearly stated in the contract.

See the entry >

fiduciary in Context

"Banks and brokerage firms hold a fiduciary responsibility to protect their customers, including from scams." — Carter Pape, American Banker, 11 Aug. 2025

Did You Know?

Fiduciary relationships are often of the financial variety, but the word fiduciary does not, in and of itself, suggest pecuniary ("money-related") matters. Rather, fiduciary applies to any situation in which one person justifiably places confidence and trust in someone else, and seeks that person's help or advice in some matter. The attorney-client relationship is a fiduciary one, for example, because the client trusts the attorney to act in the best interest of the client at all times. Fiduciary can also be used as a noun referring to the person who acts in a fiduciary capacity, and fiduciarily or fiducially can be called upon if you are in need of an adverb. The words are all faithful to their origin: Latin fīdere, which means "to trust."