custodial

American

[kuh-stoh-dee-uhl] / kʌˈstoʊ di əl /

adjective

of or relating to custody.
of, relating to, or appropriate to a custodian.

a building superintendent's custodial duties.
responsible for or providing protective supervision and guardianship rather than seeking to improve or cure.

Overcrowding forces many mental hospitals to provide only custodial care.

noun

a container or receptacle for something sacred, as the Host.

Other Word Forms

custodialism noun
noncustodial adjective

Etymology

Origin of custodial

1765–75; < Latin custōdi ( a ) custody + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Her group partners with Webull to offer students custodial brokerage accounts, allowing their parents to maintain oversight while students learn how investing works in a real-world setting, she said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Subscriptions and services revenue, which includes custodial fees and staking—locking up assets for a fee to verify blockchain transactions—exceeded transaction revenue for the first quarter ever.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

The phony tension derives from Diem’s custodial grandparents refusing to let Kenna meet her own child.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

The legislation also extended the removal window from 18 to 48 months before the end of the custodial part of a sentence.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

“In addition, two members of the custodial staff and one of the kitchen workers will not be returning,” Father Mul- rooney said.

From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023