counselor

noun

ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)lər How to pronounce counselor (audio)
variants or counsellor
Definition of counselornext
1
as in adviser
a person who gives advice especially professionally a young couple going to a marriage counselor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lawyer
a person whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients or to advise about legal rights and obligations get the best counselor that money can buy, especially if you're guilty

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of counselor Kimberly spent 15 years as a CMS counselor across elementary, middle and high schools, according to her website. — Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026 This includes — but is not limited to — professors, scholars, research assistants, students, teachers, au pairs and camp counselors. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026 Gia also tells the officers that her family has hired a counselor for her sister. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026 Evergreen's principal and lead counselor both trained to become handlers after seeing the impact other Canine Companions had on students in the wake of last year's tragedy. — Olivia Young, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for counselor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counselor
  1. adviser
  2. lawyer
  3. consultant
  4. attorney
Noun
  • JPMorgan making billions of dollars of direct investments in nascent companies is a departure from its usual role as a lender and advisor.
    — Hugh Son, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026
  • And the fourth was about how Bush’s advisers fought bitterly and were split on economic policy.
    — Bob Woodward, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of adviser
Noun
  • Defense lawyer Lawrence Obonyo, who represents Mackenzie and almost all of the others convicted, said he had been instructed to appeal.
    — Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Among the 105 people who were ultimately arrested, 75 are believed to have been deported to their home countries, according to local media, and 26 were released from ICE custody after their lawyers filed habeas corpus petitions.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of lawyer
Noun
  • Mandell’s wife, Elizabeth Heller Mandell, a gallery owner, nonprofit consultant and arts patron from a prominent California family, predeceased him, leaving him in a position to extend her philanthropic work.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • James Reeve, a Saudi macro consultant who formerly worked as a senior director for the Saudi Public Investment Fund, told me that foreign investments already made in Saudi are unlikely to be reversed in the near term.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of consultant
Noun
  • In addition to the return of her property, Omar's attorneys are demanding that the Justice Department preserve any audio and video that was taken during the search, according to the letter.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Sims, an attorney was 34th District representative from 2012 to 2018.
    — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of attorney

Browse Nearby Words

counseling
counselor
counselor-at-law
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Counselor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counselor. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All