counselor

especially British, coun·sel·lor

[koun-suh-ler]

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.

Other Word Forms

• counselorship noun
• precounsellor noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of counselor¹

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

Alvarez said her daughter already knew she could go to her counselor for help because she had interacted with her counselor during campus activities at lunch and in the classroom.

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Career counselors are advising young adults to sharpen their people skills, develop AI expertise and be ready to pivot in a fast-shifting labor market.

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Even the worst of the latter who don’t have it in them to be good parents have the resources to erect protections around their children—therapists, counselors, nannies, trainers of all sorts.

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A crucial first step is educating the people best positioned to help kids when they’re in crisis, like parents, counselors, pediatricians and social workers.

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Call 988 to connect to trained mental health counselors or text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.

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Related Words

• advocate 
• instructor 
• mentor 
• teacher