counselor

American  

[kaun-suh-ler] / ˈkaʊn sə lər /

especially British, counsellor

noun

• counselors
  plural

1. a person who counsels; adviser.

2. a faculty member who advises students on personal and academic problems, career choices, and the like.

3. an assistant at a children's camp, often a high school or college student, who supervises a group of children or directs a particular activity, as nature study or a sport.

4. a lawyer, especially a trial lawyer; counselor-at-law.

   Synonyms:

   advocate, counsel, barrister, solicitor, attorney

5. an official of an embassy or legation who ranks below an ambassador or minister.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counselorship
  noun
• precounsellor
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• counselors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of counselor

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English counseiler, counseillour, from Anglo-French cunseiler, cunseiliour, Old French conseilleor, conseillier; see origin at counsel, -eur, -er ², -or ²

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Explanation

A counselor is the person you can consult in your time of need. Your school guidance counselor may suggest you take Spanish class next school year. Bueno? How you define counselor depends on where you are at the time. In court, a counselor is the lawyer who gives clients advice on legal issues and pleads their case in court. During a therapy session, a counselor helps people understand and resolve personal issues. And at summer camp, a counselor is the person who supervises the children's activities and makes sure they stay safe.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

counselor counselors

Stand-up initiatives catered to helping people with mental health challenges include Comedy for Coping, taught by comic Dave Chawner; and Stand Up for Mental Health, led by counselor and comic David Granirer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

“You feel yourself seen and reflected in the other people around you,” said actor Matthew Lillard, a Waters film alum and guest counselor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

There are three words that will likely make this talk go away, says Brandon Smith, a counselor known as the The Workplace Therapist: “I trust you.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

That’s why it was so surprising to see longtime Republican operative Joe diGenova resign from his job as a top Trump consigliere — or, more formally, “special counselor to the attorney general” — on Thursday.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

When they returned to Mrs. Jenkins’ office, the counselor was waiting for them.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Starting Sept. 30, people who call or text 988 can once again be connected directly with counselors trained to support young LGBTQ+ people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Normally, when a death occurs inside a cellblock, facility executives dispatch clergy, rehabilitation coordinators, and mental health counselors to conduct psychological welfare checks.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Law enforcement agencies are “now trying to reinvent themselves as social workers, as drug counselors, as this and that,” said George Galvis, executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

The floods come a year after the region was ravaged by floodwaters over the Fourth of July weekend in a disaster that killed more than 100 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

In the first week of January 1947, the Atomic Energy Commission appointed its most important body of technical counselors, the General Advisory Committee.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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Related Words

• advocate
• instructor
• mentor
• teacher

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