counseled

verb

variants or counselled
past tense of counsel
1
as in consulted
to exchange viewpoints or seek advice for the purpose of finding a solution to a problem concerned parents counseling about the problem of substance abuse in their community

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in guided
to give advice and instruction to (someone) regarding the course or process to be followed every year the admissions officer counsels thousands of students about the process of applying to college

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in advised
to give advice to perhaps a psychologist would be better qualified to counsel you

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in suggested
to put (something) forward as one's choice for a wise or proper course of action I would counsel caution and deliberation in this sensitive matter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of counseled Of course, one is inevitably loaded with expectations and prejudices, but the ideal of letting the work teach you how to consider it, as the philosopher Stanely Cavell counseled, is a useful starting point. — Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026 Above all, Han Fei counseled, leaders must avoid heartfelt emotional responses to affairs of state lest they be interpreted as signs of vulnerability or weakness. — Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2026 Conversely, Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson and Chicago's Austan Goolsbee also have counseled a more patient approach. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026 Last season, during a bye week following the Rams’ rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, McVay counseled Jaguars coach Liam Coen. — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Mosley said she was encouraged by a recent ruling in New York, where 22-year-old detransitioner, Fox Varians, sued the psychologist and plastic surgeon who counseled her to undergo a gender transition, winning $2 million in a judgment. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026 The investigation found Trooper Moisses Arellano violated those two policies during his arrest of Alisa Hackett on Arkansas 18 in Mississippi County and officials counseled Arellano, spokesman Nick Genty said Tuesday afternoon. — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 25 Aug. 2026 Show your unique speaking style For decades, communication coaches counseled clients to ruthlessly eliminate verbal tics and awkward pauses. — Matt Abrahams, Time, 5 Aug. 2026 There is quiet power in simply listening — in letting a patient feel heard before they are counseled. — Mara Evans, STAT, 27 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counseled
  1. consulted
  2. guided
  3. advised
  4. suggested
  5. discussed
  6. coached
  7. warned
  8. recommended
Verb
  • The Post consulted outside experts on these methods, including economists at the Economic Policy Institute, Allison Schrager of the Manhattan Institute, Matthew Rae of KFF, and researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity.
    — Amy L. Wong, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • And while decisions were being made about what tech to adopt and how much to pay for it, few outside the NYPD were consulted.
    — Amanda Aronczyk, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of consulted
Verb
  • God has put people in your way who have guided you and assisted you.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Spotify had guided to slower MAU growth in the third quarter, pointing to changes to products in emerging countries to help the company better monetize its user bases.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of guided
Verb
  • Deanna Paul, an attorney for Tal, later said the men had been advised not to by their attorneys.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Dawson has also advised Mensah to use his legs more often and scramble either to extend plays or take the available yards on the ground.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of advised
Verb
  • Pundits continue to portray the Taiwan Strait as the world’s most dangerous flashpoint; the summit’s agenda suggested otherwise.
    — Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • One commenter suggested beverage packages could potentially cost less on longer or more port-heavy cruises, while Wi-Fi prices could vary differently depending on the length of the trip.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of suggested
Verb
  • What remains unclear is how investigators determined the contribution of climate change to the mold found in the particular schools discussed.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Price alerts, discussed in the FTC’s shopping guide, can automate the wait.
    — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of discussed
Verb
  • My mom coached my sister in high school, and then my dad kind of coached me growing up.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2026
  • May coached nearby Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four and his son, Jack, worked in Miami's video room before joining his father's Dallas staff.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of coached
Verb
  • As Ebola spreads across Africa, Kaseya warned against closing borders to contain it.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In a June 2026 paper titled When AI Builds Itself, Anthropic warned that the recursive loop has moved from science fiction to operational reality faster than the company itself expected.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of warned
Verb
  • As for where to purchase both milkweed and nectar-producing plants, Sardiñas recommended checking out Calscape, a website by the California Native Plant Society, for help finding local nurseries that sell native plants.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Returning recommended restaurants Beyond the newcomers, Lang Van held onto its Bib, with Dan Nguyen and Tuyen Tran continuing to turn out Vietnamese food that treats every regular like family.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of recommended

Browse Nearby Words

counsel
counseled
counselee
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Counseled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counseled. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All