custodial

/kʌˈstəʊdiəl/ (bre, ipa) · [kəstˈodiəl] /kʌˈstəʊdiəl/ (ame, ipa) · [kəstˈodiəl] /ˌkə-ˈstō-dē-əl/ (ame, mw)

custodial — adjective

  • custodialpositive
  • more custodialcomparative
  • most custodialsuperlative

1. Describing a court-ordered punishment that sends a convicted person to prison —

1.形容詞B2
釋義

Describing a court-ordered punishment that sends a convicted person to prison — as opposed to a fine, probation, or community service.

例句

The judge sentenced Jin to five years in prison, calling it a necessary custodial punishment for the crime.

custodial punishment — fixed legal phrase for prison-based sentencing

First-time offenders in this country often receive a non-custodial alternative, such as community service.

non-custodial — common antonym prefix pattern

同義詞
  • prison

    Used as an adjective in phrases like 'prison sentence', but custodial is the formal legal term.

  • incarcerative

    Very rare; academic usage only.

反義詞
  • non-custodial

    Describes a penalty that does not involve prison time, e.g. a fine or probation.

文法句型

custodial + noun (sentence, punishment, term)

用法筆記

Frequently used before nouns such as sentence, punishment, term, or penalty. The opposite is non-custodial (e.g. a fine or probation). This sense is almost exclusively used in a legal or judicial context.

常見錯誤

❌The prisoner received a custodial care of five years.
✅The prisoner received a custodial sentence of five years.
💡custodial in this sense describes the punishment, not the quality of care inside prison.
❌He is in custodial detention.
✅He is serving a custodial sentence.
💡custodial detention is redundant; use custodial sentence or prison term.

2. Concerning the legal authority or obligation to care for a child — used in famil

2.形容詞B2
釋義

Concerning the legal authority or obligation to care for a child — used in family law to describe which parent a child primarily lives with after a separation or divorce.

例句

After the divorce, Tara became the primary custodial parent and the children live with her during the school year.

custodial parent — the parent who has main custody of a child

A family court judge will review the custodial arrangement before making a final decision.

custodial arrangement — collocation for describing the living plan

同義詞
  • guardianship

    Broader term that can apply to non-parental care; custodial is specific to the parent with custody.

  • parental

    More general; custodial specifies which parent has legal custody.

反義詞
  • non-custodial

    Describes the parent who does not have primary custody but may have visitation rights.

文法句型

custodial + noun (parent, rights, responsibilities, arrangement)

用法筆記

Most often used before nouns like parent, rights, or arrangement. In US law, custodial parent refers to the parent with whom the child lives most of the time. The opposite is non-custodial parent.

常見錯誤

❌She has custodial of the children.
✅She has custodial rights over the children.
💡custodial is an adjective and must modify a noun; do not use it as a noun itself.
❌The custodial sentence gave her custody of the child.
✅The custodial arrangement gave her custody of the child.
💡custodial sentence belongs to sense 1 (prison); do not confuse with child custody.