guardian

American  

[gahr-dee-uhn] / ˈgɑr di ən /

noun

• guardians
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• guardianship
  noun
• underguardian
  noun
• guardianless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• guardians
  plural

Etymology

Origin of guardian

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

Explanation

A guardian is a keeper or protector who looks after the welfare of other people or their property. In legal language, guardian is typically used as an alternative to "parent." Guardians are often adults who can make legal decisions for children who are not their own. Sometimes they take care of them, too, just like a parent would. A guardian angel is a figure that some people believe (either seriously or jokingly) watches over them and protects them. The term is also used to describe people who believe they are "guarding" something important, like morality, culture, or fashion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

guardian guardians

Alex returned to live with his grandmother Susan Caruana, his legal guardian, in Oldham shortly afterwards, but found himself out of work for a long time.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Patients under 18 need the consent of a parent or guardian.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

She thanked Steve for being the family's "guardian angel" and signed off her message saying she loved him "with my whole heart".

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

What should be in place for all minor children is a formal standby guardian designation in a will that is properly signed, witnessed and notarized.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

About the years before his see-yah took over as his guardian.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

They seem to want us to believe that they no longer want to “move fast and break things” but will instead stand as vigilant guardians between humanity and a technological apocalypse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

They have also roped in an environmental activist group, which has launched a petition calling for citizens to be authorised as guardians of urban trees.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Parents and guardians can now access live video of their teens as they take an Uber.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Salterelli has seen cases where competing grandmothers both want to be guardians and a custody battle ensues.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

This was a long time before us, when the guardians were much stricter, cruel even, and when she tried to get back in, she wasn’t allowed.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro