tutelary
Americanadjective
-
having the position of guardian or protector of a person, place, or thing.
tutelary saint.
-
of or relating to a guardian or guardianship.
noun
plural
tutelariesadjective
-
invested with the role of guardian or protector
-
of or relating to a guardian or guardianship
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tutelary
Explanation
The adjective tutelary describes something that is supervising or guarding something else, like the tutelary duties of a babysitter who makes sure the kids don't hurt themselves at the playground. To correctly pronounce tutelary, say "TOO-tuh-leh-ree." Tutelary comes from the Latin word tutus, meaning "watch over." You see this root in words like tutor and tutorial, which also involve watching over, though in a more specific sense that applies primarily to instructing. Tutelary's suffix -ary means "having to do with." So something that is tutelary has to do with keeping watch, like the tutelary presence of a parent supervising a child, or even a tutelary god in an ancient society.
Vocabulary lists containing tutelary
"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 33
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Challenge, List 8
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Metamorphoses
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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.
In an ideal world, our entertainment would not have to be tutelary, would not need to “set a good example.”
From Slate • Apr. 18, 2019
Having no children of his own, Guadagnino has fallen into a tutelary role toward the young people in his life.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 8, 2018
The production’s central figures include a young African mother, in perpetual flight and exile, and a Native American, who presides as sort of a tutelary spirit over her fraught travels.
From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2014
I leave the last word to The Review Show's tutelary spirit, Tom Paulin.
From The Guardian • Mar. 15, 2013
Where wast thou, then, sweet Charity, where then, Thou tutelary friend of helpless men?
From Samboe; or, The African Boy by Hedge, Mary Ann
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.
