Meanings
nouncurator (plural curators)
plural curators · alternative obsolete curatour
- A person who manages, administers or organizes a collection, either independently or employed by a museum, library, archive or zoo.
Renowned curator Jacques Saunière staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum's Grand Gallery.
2003, Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code, Doubleday, →ISBN, page 31 more example
The Club became like town meetings for the entire New York art scene, attracting dealers, collectors, uptown curators like Alfred Barr, critics, and just about any other culturati who could wrangle their way in.
1975, Tom Wolfe, The Painted Word - A member of a curatorium, a board for electing university professors, etc.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe custodian of a collection (as a museum or library)
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincūrātor“one who has care of a thing, a manager, guardian, trustee”
- Englishcurator
From Latin cūrātor (“one who has care of a thing, a manager, guardian, trustee”), from cūrāre (“to take care of”), from cūra (“care, heed, attention, anxiety, grief”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic منظم معارض
- منظم معارضperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Bulgarian куратор
- куратор (kurator)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Chinese Mandarin 館長 /馆长, 策展人
- 館長 /馆长 (guǎnzhǎng)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- 策展人 (cèzhǎnrén)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Czech kurátor
- kurátorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Danish kurator
- kuratorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Dutch conservator, conservatrice
- conservatorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- conservatriceperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Esperanto kuratoro, kuratorino
- kuratoroperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- kuratorinoperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Finnish kuraattori
- kuraattoriperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
French conservateur, conservatrice
- conservateurperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- conservatriceperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
German Kurator, Kuratorin
- Kuratorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- Kuratorinperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- Museumskuratorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- Museumskuratorinperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- Kuratorone appointed to act as guardian; trustee
- Kuratorinone appointed to act as guardian; trustee
- Vormundone appointed to act as guardian; trustee
- Vormundinone appointed to act as guardian; trustee
- Vormündinone appointed to act as guardian; trustee
- Vormunderone appointed to act as guardian; trustee
- Vormünderone appointed to act as guardian; trustee
- Vormünderinone appointed to act as guardian; trustee
Hebrew אוצר \ אוֹצֵר, אוצרת \ אוֹצֶרֶת
- אוצר \ אוֹצֵר (otsér)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- אוצרת \ אוֹצֶרֶת (otséret)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Hungarian kurátor
- kurátorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Irish coimeádaí
- coimeádaíperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Japanese 学芸員
- 学芸員 (gakugeiin)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Korean 큐레이터
- 큐레이터 (kyureiteo)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Norwegian Bokmål kurator
- kuratorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Polish kurator, kuratorka
- kuratorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- kuratorkaperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Portuguese curador, curadora
- curadorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- curadoraperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Punjabi ਪਰਬੰਧਕ, ਵਿਵਸਥਾ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ
- ਪਰਬੰਧਕ (parbandhak)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- ਵਿਵਸਥਾ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ (vivsathā karan vālā)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- ਵਿਵਸਥਾਪਕ (vivsathāpak)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Romanian conservator, conservatoare
- conservatorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- conservatoareperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- intendentăperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Russian кура́тор
- кура́тор (kurátor)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Spanish curador, curadora
- curadorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- curadoraperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- comisarioperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- conservadorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- recopiladorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- comisariadorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
- comisarianteperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Swedish curator
- curatorperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Tagalog agsinop
- agsinopperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Thai ภัณฑารักษ์
- ภัณฑารักษ์ (pan-taa-rák)person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Turkish küratör
- küratörperson who manages, administers or organizes a collection
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with curator
latergreatercreatorlocatorvibratortranslatorspectatorterminatorcatercraternarratorslatergatormateralligatorwaiterdictatorskaterincubatorequatortraitorupdaterrotatorexcavator
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
curator. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curator
MLA
“curator.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curator. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “curator,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curator.
Source: curator on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.