fiduciary

American  

[fi-doo-shee-er-ee, -dyoo-] / fɪˈdu ʃiˌɛr i, -ˈdyu- /

noun

fiduciaries plural

1. Law. a person to whom property or power is entrusted for the benefit of another.

   All investment advisors registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) must act as fiduciaries.

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adjective

1. Law. of or relating to the relationship of trust and good faith between a fiduciary and the person for whom the fiduciary acts.

   The executor of a will has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the beneficiary.

   The banks do not assume any financial responsibility—they act in a fiduciary capacity only.

   The American Medical Association said that physicians have a fiduciary responsibility to patients.

2. depending on public confidence for value or currency, as fiat money.

fiduciary British  

/ fɪˈduːʃɪərɪ /

noun

1. a person bound to act for another's benefit, as a trustee in relation to his beneficiary

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adjective

1. 1. having the nature of a trust

   2. of or relating to a trust or trustee

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonfiduciary
  adjective
• fiduciarily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

noun

• fiduciaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fiduciary

First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin fīdūciārius “holding on trust; a trustee,” equivalent to fīdūci(a) “trust” + -ārius -ary

Explanation

A fiduciary is a person who holds assets in trust for someone else. That person has a fiduciary duty to take care of the money. Fiduciary comes from the Latin word fidere, "to trust." That's because a fiduciary is the person you trust to hold and watch over your assets until it's time for them to go to another designated person. For example, when a child's parents die, someone is chosen to look after the money left in the will until the child is old enough to manage it himself. Fiduciary can either be a noun to refer to the caretaker or an adjective to describe the trust.

Example Sentences

“It’s not just about maximizing SALT,” said Rich Pianoforte, a managing director at Fiduciary Trust in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

"Seeing the 'behind the curtain' look at luxury manufacturing feeds two emotions – curiosity and empowerment," said Daniel E. Milks, a certified financial planner and founder of Fiduciary Organization.

From Salon • May 10, 2025

Fiduciary financial planners have a legal duty to act in your best interest, which means they won’t push you to buy a financial product or service.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 24, 2023

Jeff Perkins, executive director at Friends Fiduciary, told Reuters that a business that trades on trust had good reason to leave Russia:

From Reuters • May 2, 2023

"Fiduciary relation?" the Honourable Bob retorted, in perplexity.

From Chippinge Borough by Weyman, Stanley J.