counselor

American  

[koun-suh-ler] / ˈkaʊn sə lər /

especially British, counsellor

noun

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

• counselorship noun
• precounsellor noun

Etymology

Origin of counselor

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

Example Sentences

When the tech industry executive met with his son’s guidance counselor, the school confirmed that it rarely withheld diplomas from chronically absent pupils, lest these students suffer later in life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

They were officers dispatched by a concerned counselor who misinterpreted his factually accurate answer as a statement of intent.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Kaley Chiles is a licensed counselor who offers only talk therapy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Brian Page is an accredited financial counselor, certified financial therapist candidate and founder of Modern Husbands.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 20, 2026

C.P. searched out other therapists and finally found a young counselor over in Chapel Hill who seemed to understand what he was going through.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• advocate
• instructor
• mentor
• teacher