custodial
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to custody.
-
of, relating to, or appropriate to a custodian.
a building superintendent's custodial duties.
-
responsible for or providing protective supervision and guardianship rather than seeking to improve or cure.
Overcrowding forces many mental hospitals to provide only custodial care.
noun
Other Word Forms
- custodialism noun
- noncustodial adjective
Etymology
Origin of custodial
Explanation
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."
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.
Lawyers for the men told the court they were prepared to return to their native Zimbabwe at their own expense if they do not receive a custodial sentence.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
With a Schwab, Fidelity or traditional custodial account, the child is considered the owner for tax purposes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Schwab, Fidelity and many traditional custodial accounts don’t have any extra charges or minimum balance requirements.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Those unions represent school police, school clerical workers and custodial and cafeteria supervisors, among others.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
He moved from a custodial job to one in a factory as a machinist.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
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.
