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
John M. Bremen, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Hawaii became the first U.S. state to establish a climate impact fee on Tuesday, placing an additional tax on tourists to fund climate change resiliency projects and environmental stewardship within the islands.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 29 May 2025
The result is a worldview built on stewardship, not ownership.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2025
In its first year, the new Del Mar Heights School garden has bloomed into a little haven for hands-on learning and environmental stewardship, giving kids a chance to take a break from their day to connect with nature.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 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 3 Jun. 2025.
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stewardship
noun
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