custodial

American

[kuh-stoh-dee-uhl] / kʌˈstoʊ di əl /

adjective

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

a container or receptacle for something sacred, as the Host.

Other Word Forms

custodialism noun
noncustodial adjective

Etymology

Origin of custodial

1765–75; < Latin custōdi ( a ) custody + -al ¹

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 most cases, the ability to claim a child defaults to the person known as the custodial parent, who is the one the children live with the majority of the time.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

Subscriptions and services revenue, which includes custodial fees and staking—locking up assets for a fee to verify blockchain transactions—exceeded transaction revenue for the first quarter ever.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Defence solicitor David Sutherland told the court on Wednesday he thought the public would be "horrified" with anything other than a custodial sentence.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

The phony tension derives from Diem’s custodial grandparents refusing to let Kenna meet her own child.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 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