SKIP TO CONTENT

custodial

/kəˈstoʊdiəl/
/kəsˈtʌʊdiəl/
IPA guide

Someone whose job or task is custodial is supposed to take care of you. A babysitter's job is custodial.

A guardian or caregiver of any kind has a custodial duty — he or she supervises and protects another person, usually a child. After a divorce, there's sometimes only one custodial parent, while the other only visits occasionally. When a criminal is sent to prison, it's often called a "custodial sentence," because the convicted person is being watched over and supervised in jail. The Latin root is custodia, "guarding or keeping."

Definitions of custodial
  1. adjective
    providing protective supervision; watching over or safeguarding
    “daycare that is educational and not just custodial”
    synonyms: tutelar, tutelary
    protective
    intended or adapted to afford protection of some kind
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘custodial'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of gold-punch.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family