guardianship

G2U1A1R1D2I1A1N1S1H4I1P3

noun

The office or position of one acting as a guardian or conservator, especially in a legal capacity.

Less commonScrabble 19

Meanings

nounguardianship (plural guardianships)

plural guardianships

  1. The office or position of one acting as a guardian or conservator, especially in a legal capacity.

    An application for guardianship must be founded on two medical recommendations, the procedure being similar to an application for admission for treatment.

    1986, Philip Bean, Mental Disorder and Legal Control, page 84
    1 more example

    Forbidden to you are your mothers and your daughters and your sisters and your paternal aunts and your maternal aunts and brothers' daughters and sisters' daughters and your mothers that have suckled you and your foster-sisters and mothers of your wives and your step-daughters who are in your guardianship, (born) of your wives to whom you have gone in, but if you have not gone in to them, there is no blame on you (in marrying them), and the wives of your sons who are of your own loins and that you should have two sisters together, except what has already passed; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

    1917, Maulana Muhammad Ali (translator), Qu’ran The Women, 4.23

    Synonyms: tutelarity

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe office or position of one acting as a guardian or conservator, especially in a legal capacity.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nounattention and management implying responsibility for safety

Broader

nounthe responsibility of a guardian or keeper

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Englishguardian
  2. Proto-Germanic*skapjaną
  3. Englishguardianship

From guardian + -ship.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian попечителство
  • попечителство (popečitelstvo)position
Chinese Mandarin 監護權 /监护权
  • 監護權 /监护权 (jiānhùquán)position
Dutch voogdij, curatele
  • voogdijposition
  • curateleposition
Finnish huoltajuus
  • huoltajuusposition
French tutelle
  • tutelleposition
German Vormundschaft, Schutz
  • Vormundschaftposition
  • Schutzposition
Hindi संरक्षण, अभिरक्षण
  • संरक्षण (sanrakṣaṇ)position
  • अभिरक्षण (abhirakṣaṇ)position
Hungarian gyámság, gondnokság
  • gyámságposition
  • gondnokságposition
Indonesian perwalian
  • perwalianposition
Irish daltachas, bardacht
  • daltachasposition
  • bardachtposition
  • coimirceposition
  • feighlíochtposition
Italian tutela, curatela
  • tutelaposition
  • curatelaposition
  • tutoriaposition
Latin tūtēla
  • tūtēlaposition
Malay perwalian
  • perwalianposition
Māori kaitiakitanga
  • kaitiakitangaposition
Norwegian Bokmål vergemål
  • vergemålposition
Polish opieka
  • opiekaposition
Portuguese tutela
  • tutelaposition
Romanian tutelă
  • tutelăposition
Russian опе́ка
  • опе́ка (opéka)position
Scottish Gaelic tuitearachd
  • tuitearachdposition
Slovak poručníctvo
  • poručníctvoposition
Spanish tutela
  • tutelaposition
Swedish förmyndarskap
  • förmyndarskapposition
Turkish velilik
  • velilikposition
Ukrainian опі́ка
  • опі́ка (opíka)position
Cite this entry
APA

guardianship. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/guardianship

MLA

“guardianship.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/guardianship. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “guardianship,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/guardianship.

Source: guardianship on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.