fiduciary

American  

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

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

Nouns

• 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

See Examples For:

fiduciary fiduciaries

That’s called having a fiduciary duty, and it comes with legal ramifications.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

The rules determining the big-ticket items in corporate governance—from fiduciary duties to shareholder litigation and executive compensation—are largely governed by the laws of the state where a company is incorporated, not where its employees sit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Smith is accused of fraudulent inducement and breach of fiduciary duty.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

It was getting to the point where it was harder to raise fiduciary capital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

He prefers money as a concept and often uses terms such as annuity and fiduciary, words definitely not listed in the dictionary of mindless entertainment.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

A little background on ethics: Not all money managers are fiduciaries — professionals who have to act in their client’s best interest under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

That would help shield them from potential lawsuits over the investments, as long as fiduciaries meet specified selection requirements.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

The proposed rule states that “plan fiduciaries would need to objectively, thoroughly, and analytically consider, and make determinations on factors including performance, fees, liquidity, valuation, performance benchmarks, and complexity,” the department said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026

“Employers are fiduciaries, which means they must make decisions about retirement investments that are in their employees’ best interest,” observes Eileen Applebaum of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

A public journal has recently published a detailed list, showing that there has been plundered by fiduciaries since 1873 the amazing amount of thirty millions of money; and the work goes on.

From Destruction and Reconstruction: Personal Experiences of the Late War by Richard Taylor