Guardian
Part of speech: noun
Definition: Someone who guards, watches over, or protects. A person legally responsible for a minor (in loco parentis). A person legally responsible for an incompetent person. A superior in a Franciscan monastery. A major or final enemy; boss.
Example sentence: When I was 14, my mother died. My father, who had always had ulcers, came apart. He had a series of intestinal operations, and was in the hospital for nearly a year. So the four of us teenagers lived by ourselves in the apartment without a guardian.
Protector
Part of speech: noun
Definition: Someone who protects or guards, by assignment or on his own initiative.A device or mechanism which is designed to protect.One who prevents interference.A state or other subject under international law, exercising a protectorate over another subject in international law.
Example sentence: I'd rather be the protector than the protected. I'm naturally the protector - being a mother and having a famous family. You have to navigate when it's right to protect.