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 Kostyack, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
She’s expected to prosecute the case against Trump’s stewardship of U.S. foreign policy in particular.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
In the past few years, under the stewardship of Samantha Power, U.S.A.I.D seemed to regain its focus.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2025
And although responsible stewardship of taxpayer funds would require managers to make sound financial decisions, investments must balance prospective returns with the clear strategic purpose of U.S. innovation leadership.
—Steve Bowsher, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 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 21 Mar. 2025.
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stewardship
noun
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