curator

American  

[kyoo-rey-ter, kyoor-ey-, kyoor-uh-ter] / kyʊˈreɪ tər, ˈkyʊər eɪ-, ˈkyʊər ə tər /

noun

1. the person in charge of a museum, art collection, etc.

2. a person who selects content for presentation, as on a website.

3. a manager; superintendent.

4. Law. a guardian of a minor or any other person who is unable to care for their own affairs, especially with regard to their property.

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curator British  

/ ˌkjʊərəˈtɔːrɪəl, kjʊəˈreɪtə /

noun

1. the administrative head of a museum, art gallery, or similar institution

2. law a guardian of a minor, mentally ill person, etc

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Other Word Forms

• curatorial
  adjective
• curatorship
  noun
• subcurator
  noun
• subcuratorial
  adjective
• subcuratorship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of curator

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin, equivalent to cūrā(re) “to care for, attend to” ( see cure) + -tor -tor

Explanation

If you are the curator of the school art show, you choose which pieces will be in it and decide how they will be displayed. A curator is someone who manages an art collection or exhibit. The kind of artwork a curator manages does not have to be the visual kind. You can curate a series of readings by selecting which authors read in it and who reads together. A curator is the person who gives the overall shape and feel to an art exhibit. In law, if you are the curator of someone's estate, you have been given legal power to manage it for someone who is too young or mentally unable to do it themselves.

Example Sentences

Nielsen's work was supported by Canadian paleontologist Taia Wyenberg-Henzler and museum curator Denver Fowler, who served as external supervisors during the undergraduate project that led to the published study.

From Science Daily • May 5, 2026

"When I think about the show, if there's one word to describe it, I suppose it would be equitability or equivalency, equivalency between artworks," the Costume Institute's curator Andrew Bolton told AFP.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

In December — soon after the museum announced its opening date — news broke that chief curator Pilar Tompkins Rivas had stepped down from her role.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

He even included a PayPal receipt with the name of the curator he suspected of selling them - Peter Higgs - on it.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

This request, too, the lawyers refused, much to the regret of Milton Greeman, curator of Wistar’s renowned collection of medical specimens.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• administrator
• conservator
• custodian
• director
• manager