Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

Thesaurus

council

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of council

1 a coming together of a number of persons for a specified purpose
  • a war council attended by the top commanders of each of the armed services
Synonyms of council

assembly, congress, convention, convocation, gathering, get-together, huddle, meeting, powwow
Words Related to council

clinic, workshop

caucus, conclave, synod

demonstration, rally

conversation, dialogue (also dialog), discourse, discussion, palaver, talk

negotiation, parley, summit

conference, forum, roundtable, seminar, symposium

audience, interview, session
2 a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest
  • The neighborhood council decided to campaign for a new park.
Synonyms of council

association, board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, fellowship, fraternity, guild (also gild), institute, institution, league, order, organization, society, sodality
Words Related to council

collective, commune, community, cooperative

alliance, bloc, camp, coalition, partnership

body, cadre, group

circle, clan, clique, coterie, junta, lot, set

crew, outfit, party, squad, team

branch, chapter, local

faithful, fold, membership

sisterhood, sorority

cabal, confederacy, conspiracy

band, gang, ring

cartel, combine, syndicate
3 a meeting featuring a group discussion
  • summoned to a council to discuss ways that the state could improve medical care for the elderly
Synonyms of council

colloquy, conference, forum, panel, panel discussion, parley, powwow, round-robin, roundtable, seminar, symposium
Words Related to council

colloquium

caucus, town meeting

assembly, conclave, congregation, congress, consistory, convention, convocation, synod

debate, deliberation

brainstorming

chat room, newsgroup
4 a local unit of an organization
  • The two small scout councils were merged into one.
Synonyms of council

affiliate, branch, cell, chapter, local
Words Related to council

arm, division, wing

offshoot, subchapter

lodge, post
5 an exchange of views for the purpose of exploring a subject or deciding an issue
  • an unscheduled council in the judge's chambers
Synonyms of council

argument, argumentation, back-and-forth, colloquy, confab, confabulation, conference, consult, consultation, counsel, debate, deliberation, dialogue (also dialog), discussion, give-and-take, palaver, parley, talk
Words Related to council

bull session, chat room, forum, meeting, powwow, roundtable, seminar, skull session (also skull practice), symposium, talkathon

chat, conversation, rap, words

discourse, disquisition

bargaining, consultancy, negotiation, pourparler

Learn More about council

  1. See words that rhyme with council Dictionary: Definition of council Spanish Central: Translation of council Nglish: Translation of council for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of council for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about council

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up council? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games