Standard Lemma guide

curator

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /kjʊəˈɹeɪtə(ɹ)/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /kjʊəˈɹeɪtɚ/
  • Canada, General-American: [kjʊəˈɹeɪɾɚ]
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /kjʊəˈɹæɪtə(ɹ)/
  • Australian, New-Zealand: [kjʊəˈɹæɪɾə(ɹ)]
  • Brisbane Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪtə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: K Y UH0 R EY1 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: K Y UH1 R AH0 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person who manages, administers or organizes a collection, either independently or employed by a museum, library, archive or zoo.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

One appointed to act as guardian of the estate of a person not legally competent to manage it, or of an absentee; a trustee.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A member of a curatorium, a board for electing university professors, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A person or entity who controls, manages, or oversees another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A groundsman who looks after a cricket field.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: ball-games, cricket, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the custodian of a collection (as a museum or library)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: conservator

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: custodian, keeper, steward

History

Etymology

From Latin cūrātor (“one who has care of a thing, a manager, guardian, trustee”), from cūrāre (“to take care of”), from cūra (“care, heed, attention, anxiety, grief”).

Across languages

Translations

70 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: منظم معارض — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Bulgarian: куратор (kurator) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Chinese Mandarin: 館長 /馆长 (guǎnzhǎng) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Chinese Mandarin: 策展人 (cèzhǎnrén) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Crimean Tatar: kurator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Czech: kurátor — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Danish: kurator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Dutch: conservator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Dutch: conservatrice — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Esperanto: kuratoro — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Esperanto: kuratorino — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Finnish: kuraattori — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • French: conservateur — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • French: conservatrice — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Georgian: კურატორი (ḳuraṭori) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • German: Kurator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • German: Kuratorin — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • German: Museumskurator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • German: Museumskuratorin — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Hebrew: אוצר \ אוֹצֵר (otsér) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Hebrew: אוצרת \ אוֹצֶרֶת (otséret) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Hungarian: kurátor — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Irish: coimeádaí — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Japanese: 学芸員 (gakugeiin) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Korean: 큐레이터 (kyureiteo) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Macedonian: кустос (kustos) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kurator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kurator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Occitan: conservator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Occitan: conservador — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Occitan: curator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Occitan: comisari — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Polish: kurator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Polish: kuratorka — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Portuguese: curador — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Portuguese: curadora — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Punjabi: ਪਰਬੰਧਕ (parbandhak) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Punjabi: ਵਿਵਸਥਾ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ (vivsathā karan vālā) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Punjabi: ਵਿਵਸਥਾਪਕ (vivsathāpak) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Romanian: conservator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Romanian: conservatoare — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Romanian: intendentă — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Russian: кура́тор (kurátor) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Serbo-Croatian: упра̀витељ — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Serbo-Croatian: upràvitelj — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Spanish: curador — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Spanish: curadora — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Spanish: comisario — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Spanish: conservador — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Spanish: recopilador — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Spanish: comisariador — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Spanish: comisariante — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Swedish: curator — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Tagalog: agsinop — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Thai: ภัณฑารักษ์ (pan-taa-rák) — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • Turkish: küratör — person who manages, administers or organizes a collection
  • German: Kurator — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Kuratorin — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Vormund — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Vormundin — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Vormündin — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Vormunder — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Vormünder — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Vormünderin — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Sachwalter — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Sachwalterin — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Treuhänder — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Treuhänderin — one appointed to act as guardian; trustee
  • German: Kurator — member of a curatorium, a board for electing university professors, etc
  • German: Kuratorin — member of a curatorium, a board for electing university professors, etc
Real reading context

curator in complete knowledge articles