fiduciary

fiduciary
1 of 2
adjective

: of, relating to, or involving a confidence or trust: such as
a
: held or founded in trust or confidence
a fiduciary relationship
a bank's fiduciary obligations
b
: holding in trust
c
: depending on public confidence for value or currency
fiduciary fiat money
fiduciary

2 of 2
noun
pluralfiduciaries
: one that holds a fiduciary relation or acts in a fiduciary capacity


Did you know?
Fiduciary relationships are often of the financial variety, but the word fiduciary does not, in and of itself, suggest pecuniary ("money-related") matters. Rather, fiduciary applies to any situation in which one person justifiably places confidence and trust in someone else, and seeks that person's help or advice in some matter. The attorney-client relationship is a fiduciary one, for example, because the client trusts the attorney to act in the best interest of the client at all times. Fiduciary can also be used as a noun referring to the person who acts in a fiduciary capacity, and fiduciarily or fiducially can be called upon if you are in need of an adverb. The words are all faithful to their origin: Latin f;dere, which means "to trust."

Examples of fiduciary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
The request marked an escalation in the legal feud between the sides that started when Musk sued OpenAI in March 2024 for breach of contract and fiduciary duty.
—Hayden Field, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2025
In a 59-page judgment last year, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Mark Styles Jr. concluded that the bank had not breached its fiduciary duty and that only five works were unaccounted for.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2025
Noun
What are the climate risks confronting prudent fiduciaries?
—Marianne Krasny, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
The decision casts doubt on the ability to use low-cost index funds and other popular types of funds in 401(k) plans, potentially limiting the options available to plan fiduciaries in seeking the best returns for retirees.
—Mike Feuz, Boston Herald, 1 Mar. 2025

Word History
Etymology
Adjective

borrowed from Latin f;d;ci;rius "holding in trust, of a trustee, (of property) held on trust," from f;d;cia "transference of a property on trust, trust, reliance, confidence" (from *f;d;cus "trusting" —from f;dere "to trust [in], have confidence [in]" + -;cus, deverbal adjective suffix— + -ia -ia entry 1) + -;rius -ary entry 2 — more at faith entry 1

Noun

borrowed from Medieval Latin f;d;ci;rius, noun derivative of Latin f;d;ci;rius, adjective, "holding in trust, of a trustee" — more at fiduciary entry 1

First Known Use
Adjective

circa 1641, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1631, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiduciary was in 1631
See more words from the same year