stewardship

7 synonyms and 2 antonyms for stewardship, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to your care, especially resources, money or land that others depend on.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

care management leadership

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

tenure

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

custodianship guardianship trusteeship

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to your care, especially resources, money or land that others depend on.

“The trust praised her stewardship of the woodland over thirty years.”

custodianship guardianship care trusteeship management

Opposites

neglect exploitation

2. noun

The period during which someone holds a position of responsibility, judged by how well they ran things.

“Under his stewardship the club climbed two divisions.”

tenure leadership

How to use stewardship

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

environmental stewardship financial stewardship under his stewardship stewardship of resources

Formal and slightly high-minded; common in charity, church, conservation and corporate governance writing.

Etymology

From Old English 'stigweard', literally 'hall keeper' or 'house guardian', plus the suffix '-ship' denoting a state or office.

Full origin of stewardship →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between stewardship and ownership?

An owner holds something as their own and may generally do as they like with it. A steward looks after something on behalf of others, including future generations, and is accountable for its condition. The word implies duty rather than entitlement.

What is environmental stewardship?

It is the practice of managing land, water and wildlife so they remain healthy for the long term, rather than extracting as much value as possible now. It covers everything from a farmer's soil management to national conservation policy.

What is data stewardship?

It is the responsibility for keeping an organisation's data accurate, secure and properly used. A data steward defines what a field means, who may access it and how long it is kept.

People also searched

care management leadership exploitation tenure neglect custodianship guardianship trusteeship

Nearby words

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