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.

Her group partners with Webull to offer students custodial brokerage accounts, allowing their parents to maintain oversight while students learn how investing works in a real-world setting, she said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Acorns offers custodial brokerage accounts and matches 1% on up to $7,000 in deposits per year.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 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

It was something about knowing who the important little people were, the forgotten ones who don’t wear suits, the mail- room clerk, the secretaries, the custodial staffs.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023