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

They also groused about the growing ranks of venture capitalists, investment bankers, lawyers and consultants crawling the grounds, trying to cash in on the latest gold rush in Silicon Valley.

From The Wall Street Journal

A number of consultants advised Arnault against the project: It wasn’t the right time to invest so much in China, they said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Leah, 25, works as a consultant to government agencies and companies at the intersection of national security and climate change.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The optics of this are terrible in the context of an ongoing war,” said Mark Bathgate, chief executive of Tweeddale Advisors, a policy consultant in London for investment firms.

From The Wall Street Journal

"None of our consultants coerced the clients," he adds.

From BBC

Related Words

• advisor
• expert
• specialist
• veteran