supervisory
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does supervisory mean? Supervisory is used to describe things that involve supervision, which is the act of overseeing, watching over, and providing direction for someone or something. Supervisory is an adjective form of the verb supervise, and it’s especially used in the phrases supervisory role and supervisory capacity, both of which refer to positions that involve supervision (or positions for which supervision is a responsibility). The word supervise often refers to supervising a project or people, parents supervising their children, or a manager or supervisor supervising their employees. Supervisory is most often used in the context of supervisors in the workplace or government agencies that conduct oversight. Example: I’ve been asked to come on in a supervisory capacity to oversee the project.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of supervisory
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.
Last month, Hugo Boss appointed Frasers’ Chief Executive Michael Murray as the next chairman of its supervisory board, weeks after the U.K. group achieved a near-majority ownership in the German apparel company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
By Monday, Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb had published a two-page paper arguing that AI “must remain under human direction, oversight and control” and suggested creating a global supervisory regime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
For its computing and communications business, “Huawei’s goal is to become Nvidia,” Guo Ping, chairman of Huawei’s supervisory board, told new employees recently, according to an official transcript.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The law's enforcement will be paid for by a supervisory fee on platforms.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Across the gorge and slightly upstream, perched on a gravel bench on the west side, was the government-built town the clerk had told Joe was Engineer City—home to technical and supervisory personnel.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
