Word
counsel
Phoneticscoun·sel
US/ˈkaʊnsəɫ/
UK/kˈaʊnsəl/
US spelling · counseled
Definitions
01advice or guidance
n. advice or guidance given to someone, especially by a person with authority or wisdom.
n. advice or guidance, particularly that which is given formally or after careful deliberation.
“I am grateful for my grandfather's wise counsel during that difficult time.”
“The young king relied heavily on the counsel of his senior ministers to navigate the complex diplomatic crisis.”
Formal
Pitfall
He gave me some good counsels.
He gave me some good counsel.
In the sense of advice, 'counsel' is often uncountable and does not take a plural 's'.
02a lawyer
n. a lawyer or a group of lawyers who represent someone in a court of law.
n. a legal advocate or barrister conducting a case in court; often used as a collective noun for a legal team.
“The defendant sat quietly while his counsel addressed the judge.”
“The prosecution's counsel argued that the evidence clearly demonstrated a premeditated attempt to defraud the investors.”
Formal
03to give advice
v. to give professional advice to someone, especially about personal or legal problems.
v. to provide professional guidance or advice to an individual; frequently used in psychological or legal contexts.
“The school has a specialist who can counsel students about their future careers.”
“Trained professionals were brought in to counsel the survivors of the disaster and help them process the trauma.”
Usage
This verb is transitive and requires a direct object representing the person being advised.
04to recommend an action
v. to suggest or recommend that someone should do a specific thing.
v. to recommend or advocate for a specific course of action.
“Most experts counsel patience when investing in the stock market.”
“The board of directors counselled caution, suggesting that the company should wait for more stable market conditions before expanding.”
Formal
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“Hanson later said she had counselled him on the comments , while Joyce described them as a slip-up during the “pressure of a campaign”.” “But flesh-and-blood Will Forte plays Wile E’s hapless underdog lawyer and John Cena is Acme’s sinister, smoothie counsel.” Etymology
From Middle English counseil, conseil, from Old French conseil, from Latin cōnsilium; akin to cōnsulō (“take counsel, consult”).
From Middle English counseilen, from Old French conseiller, from Latin cōnsilior, from cōnsilium.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/counsel