administrator

noun

ad·​min·​is·​tra·​tor əd-ˈmi-nə-ˌstrā-tər 

-ˌstrā-ˌtȯr

1

: a person legally vested with the right of administration of an estate

2

a

: one who administers especially business, school, or governmental affairs

b

: a person who manages a computer network or system

network administrators

3

: a priest appointed to administer a diocese or parish temporarily

Synonyms

• administrant
• archon
• director
• exec
• executive
• manager
• superintendent
• supervisor

Examples of administrator in a Sentence

Her eldest son will act as the administrator of the estate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Drifts had begun forming between buildings and visibility had shrunk to 50 yards by 10 a.m., and our administrator decided to close school. —Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 30 Jan. 2025

The former administrator, Michael Whitaker, stepped down from his position on Inauguration Day last week. —Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2025

Catch up quick: The previous FAA administrator, Michael Whitaker, resigned on Jan. 20, Trump's Inauguration Day, multiple outlets reported. —April Rubin, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025

Each school and department will have a booth where candidates may meet administrators, learn about school-specific openings and ask questions, according to a district flyer. —Nwa Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English administratour, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin administātor "person in charge, manager," from administrāre "to administer" + -tor, agent suffix

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

administrator

noun

ad·​min·​is·​tra·​tor əd-ˈmin-ə-ˌstrāt-ər 

: a person who administers especially business, school, or government affairs

Legal Definition

administrator

noun

ad·​min·​i·​stra·​tor əd-ˈmi-nə-ˌstrā-tər 

1

: a person appointed by a probate court to manage the distribution of the assets in the estate of a person who has died without leaving a valid will or leaving a will that does not name an executor able or willing to perform see also administratrix, letters of administration at letter sense 2 compare executor, personal representative

— administrator ad litem

: an administrator appointed to represent an estate that is a necessary party to a lawsuit

— administrator cum testamento annexo

: administrator with the will annexed in this entry

— administrator de bonis non \ -​dē-​ˈbō-​nis-​ˈnän, -​dā-​ˈbō-​nis-​ˈnōn \

: an administrator appointed to administer the remaining assets in the estate when the preceding administrator or executor can or will no longer perform

— administrator pendente lite \ -​pen-​ˈden-​tē-​ˈlī-​tē, -​pen-​ˈden-​tā-​ˈlē-​tā \

: special administrator in this entry

— administrator with the will annexed

: an administrator appointed to administer an estate where the will names no executor or where the named executor is incapable of performing or unwilling to perform

called also administrator cum testamento annexo

— ancillary administrator

: a subordinate administrator appointed to administer the assets of an estate that are located in a different jurisdiction from the one where the deceased was domiciled and where the primary administration of the estate is taking place

— foreign administrator

: an administrator appointed in another state

— general administrator

: an administrator appointed to administer the entire estate of a deceased person in accordance with the laws of intestacy or in accordance with the will if there is one compare special administrator in this entry

— independent administrator

: an administrator whose administration of the estate is entirely or mostly unsupervised by the probate court

— public administrator

: a public officer who administers the estates of deceased people when there is no one else willing or entitled to perform

: an administrator appointed in some states for the sole purpose of being responsible for the assets in an estate pending settlement of a dispute or when there is doubt as to who should be appointed administrator

— special administrator

: an administrator appointed to administer only a designated part of the deceased person's estate

: an administrator appointed for the sole purpose of being responsible for the assets in an estate usually in some emergency (as a will contest) compare general administrator in this entry

2

: a person that administers

especially, often capitalized : the head of a government agency