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
Suat Bakkal, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
But on two fronts, Grier continued a risky pattern that has marked his stewardship of the franchise, often to his team’s detriment.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
As Wall Street buckles under the tariff back-and-forth, Trump’s stewardship of the economy is under new scrutiny.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025
Listen to this article When the San Diego County Taxpayers Association announced the surprise and immediate resignation of chief executive Haney Hong early last week, officials were quick to credit their leader for his years of service and able stewardship of the organization.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 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 22 Mar. 2025.
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stewardship
noun
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