guardian

American  

[gahr-dee-uhn] / ˈgɑr di ən /

noun

1. a person who guards, protects, or preserves.

   Synonyms:

   defender, protector

2. Law. a person who is entrusted by law with the care of the person, property, or both, of someone else, such as a minor or someone legally incapable of managing their affairs.

3. the superior of a Franciscan convent.

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adjective

1. guarding; protecting.

   a guardian deity.

guardian British  

/ ˈɡɑːdɪən /

noun

1. one who looks after, protects, or defends

   the guardian of public morals

2. 1. law someone legally appointed to manage the affairs of a person incapable of acting for himself, as a minor or person of unsound mind

   2. social welfare (in England) a local authority, or person accepted by it, named under the Mental Health Act 1983 as having the powers to require a mentally disordered person to live at a specified place, attend for treatment, and be accessible to a doctor or social worker

3. (often capital) (in England) another word for custos

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adjective

1. protecting or safeguarding

Pronunciation

Guardian is occasionally pronounced with two syllables and with stress on the final syllable: . This pronunciation is now most characteristic of older, less educated speakers.

Other Word Forms

• guardianless adjective
• guardianship noun
• underguardian noun

Etymology

Origin of guardian

First recorded in 1375–1425; from late Middle English gardein, from Anglo-French. See warden

Example Sentences

“The house, really, to be honest with you, doesn’t matter to us,” his guardian, Steve Rodriguez, says in a Pasadena Humane video.

From Los Angeles Times

For an orphaned boy and his guardian aunt, that closeness must be earned.

From Los Angeles Times

Buss's daughter, current Lakers governor Jeanie Buss, called him "a guardian angel for this franchise" and "the epitome of an era."

From Barron's

For years, he had been the primary guardian of Xi’s “China Dream” of national rejuvenation, serving as the bridge between the party’s revolutionary past and its high-tech military future.

From The Wall Street Journal

The theft deeply embarrassed the French establishment and called into question the government’s oversight of the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and the guardian of many of the world’s most precious works of art.

From The Wall Street Journal