consultant

American  

[kuhn-suhl-tnt] / kənˈsʌl tnt /

noun

1. a person who gives professional or expert advice.

   a consultant on business methods.

2. a person who consults someone or something.

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consultant British  

/ kənˈsʌltənt /

noun

1. 1. a senior physician, esp a specialist, who is asked to confirm a diagnosis or treatment or to provide an opinion

   2. a physician or surgeon holding the highest appointment in a particular branch of medicine or surgery in a hospital

2. a specialist who gives expert advice or information

3. a person who asks advice in a consultation

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Other Word Forms

• consultancy noun

Etymology

Origin of consultant

First recorded in 1690–1700; from French or directly from Latin consultant- (stem of consultāns, present participle of consultāre “to take counsel”); consult, -ant

Example Sentences

The deals seem to reflect the traditional way a lot of software gets sold, which is through the consultants.

From Barron's

The company worked with consultants to develop a personality test aimed at determining whether a candidate is wired for unsupervised production.

From The Wall Street Journal

McCoy, 45, has since relocated to Romania and works as a consultant helping other Americans with more limited means join the emigrant wave.

From The Wall Street Journal

For example, among the 25 fastest-growing jobs in the U.S. for 2026, according to LinkedIn: strategic advisers, independent consultants, and founders.

From MarketWatch

Instead, he was brought on as a consultant after he pitched his vision of how they could reinvent legacy sports brand Slazenger.

From BBC

Related Words

• advisor
• expert
• specialist
• veteran