fiduciary
/fɪˈdjuːʃəri/ (bre, ipa) · /fɪˈduːʃieri/ (ame, ipa) · /fə-ˈdü-shē-ˌer-ē -shə-rē, -ˈdyü-, fī-/ (ame, mw)
fiduciary — adjective
- fiduciarypositive
- more fiduciarycomparative
- most fiduciarysuperlative
1. describing a duty where one person must look after another person's money or pro
describing a duty where one person must look after another person's money or property and put that other person's interests first.
As trustee of the family fund, Xiu had a fiduciary duty to her younger brothers.
fiduciary + duty — most common collocation
The bank failed in its fiduciary role when it sold risky shares to elderly clients.
fiduciary + role / responsibility
Company directors owe a fiduciary obligation to the shareholders who elected them.
Tamar argued that her financial adviser had broken his fiduciary duty by hiding the fees.
Pension fund managers carry a fiduciary responsibility for the retirement savings of thousands of workers.
- trust-based
plainer, everyday register; works in general writing
- custodial
emphasises physically holding or guarding the asset rather than legal duty
文法句型
fiduciary + noun (duty, responsibility, role)
用法筆記
Almost always used before a noun (fiduciary duty / responsibility / relationship / role). Subject is usually a person or organisation with formal power over another party's money or property — a trustee, lawyer, director, or financial adviser.
常見錯誤
2. describing a relationship that the law treats as one of trust — for example betw
describing a relationship that the law treats as one of trust — for example between a lawyer and a client, or a guardian and a child — where one side must act honestly for the other.
A lawyer stands in a fiduciary relationship with the client who hires her.
fiduciary + relationship — defining usage
Emre acted in a fiduciary capacity when he managed his grandmother's medical accounts.
in a fiduciary capacity (fixed legal phrase)
The court ruled that the doctor and patient shared a fiduciary trust about private health records.
Guardians of young children always hold a fiduciary position under family law.
- trust-based
lay equivalent — use in general writing where 'fiduciary' would feel too legal
- arm's-length
describes a relationship with no special duty of care — the opposite legal framing
文法句型
fiduciary + noun (relationship, capacity, trust)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 names the specific DUTY (what the person must do); sense 2 names the RELATIONSHIP or capacity in which that duty exists. Often appears in the fixed phrase 'in a fiduciary capacity'.
fiduciary — noun
1. a person or organisation that the law puts in charge of another person's money o
a person or organisation that the law puts in charge of another person's money or property, and that must always act for the benefit of that other person.
After her father died, Iris was named the fiduciary for her two younger sisters' inheritance.
fiduciary for + beneficiary
A financial adviser who charges hidden fees is failing as a fiduciary.
as a fiduciary (role complement)
Pension fund trustees act as fiduciaries for every worker who pays into the scheme.
Meera hired a lawyer to check whether the company's fiduciary had managed the estate honestly.
The judge appointed a neutral fiduciary to take control of the disputed family business.
- beneficiary
the opposite role — the person whose interests the fiduciary must serve
文法句型
a fiduciary of/for [beneficiary]
act as a fiduciary
用法筆記
Countable. Often used in formal legal or financial writing rather than spoken English. A 'fiduciary' is the role; a 'beneficiary' is the person the fiduciary works for. The two terms almost always appear together.