consigliere

noun

con·​sig·​li·​e·​re kōn-(ˌ)sil-ˈye-re 

-ˈyer-ē;

kän-(ˌ)si-glē-ˈye-rā 

-rē,

-ˈyer

plural consiglieri kōn-(ˌ)sil-ˈyer-ē 

kän-(ˌ)si-glē-ˈye-rē

also consiglieres

: a person who serves as an adviser or counselor to the leader of a criminal organization

the consigliere of a Mafia family

I remember both the book and movie [The Godfather] portrayed a sitdown of the dons. Everything was fine except for one thing—Don Corleone had an Irish consigliere. It could never happen.

—Vincent Teresa

also : someone (such as a powerful political consultant) who is being likened in some way to such an adviser

He played a key role in his dad's 1988 campaign, acting as the family consigliere and learning the arts of war from the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater.

—David Hume Kennerly

Bruce Lindsey has always been the most trusted White House consigliere, the go-to guy for putting fires out swiftly—and discreetly.

—John Engen

Did you know?

Consigliere and the Godfather

If you're a fan of The Godfather series of movies, mention of the word consigliere may already have brought to mind the character Tom Hagen. Hagen, the Corleones' family lawyer, is famously dismissed by the Don's successor and son Michael Corleone because he is not a “wartime consigliere.” The word consigliere comes from Italian and has been a part of English since the 17th century; it was originally used of someone who served on a council in Italy. Currently, it most commonly refers to advisers to the Mafia—a use that first appeared in English in a document from a 1963 session of the U.S. Senate. It is also used more generally for someone who is likened in some way to such an adviser.

Synonyms

• adviser
• consultant
• advisor
• confidant

Examples of consigliere in a Sentence

the President's trusted consigliere and chief political strategist

Recent Examples on the Web

Through his first six months in New England, Stretch has been described as an evolved version of Ernie Adams, the one-time consigliere to Bill Belichick. —Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025

Instead, his consigliere, Paul Heyman, has held his Money in the Bank briefcase as Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed continued to wreak havoc on Jey Uso and Roman Reigns. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2025

For now the permanent government in basketball is three men: Dolan, Leon Rose, and Rose’s consigliere William Wesley. —Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 3 July 2025

Employees, including security and personal assistants, and Combs’s premier consigliere—a woman named Kristina Khorram, or K.K., a former chief of staff of Combs Enterprises, whom spectators cast as the Ghislaine to Combs’s Epstein—would facilitate his desires and tidy his messes. —Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from consiglio advice, counsel, from Latin consilium — more at counsel

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

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