counseling 1 of 3

noun

variants or counselling
Definition of counselingnext
as in reassurance

Related Words

Relevance

counseling

2 of 3

adjective

variants or counselling
as in consulting

Related Words

counseling

3 of 3

verb

variants or counselling
present participle of counsel
1
as in conferring
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
2
as in guiding
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 advising
to give advice to perhaps a psychologist would be better qualified to counsel you

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in suggesting
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 counseling
Noun
The district also said that Beyer has made additional counseling and support services available to student-athletes and that students and staff undergo annual training intended to prevent harassment. — Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026 The shooting prompted the University of Delaware to cancel classes on Monday and provide counseling to students traumatized by the incident, according to a university spokesperson. — ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026
Verb
The Lambs moved to Eugene, Oregon, where Jerry Lamb went back to school to earn a master’s degree in counseling psychology. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Offer him the option of couples counseling so your issues can be mediated. — Abigail Van Buren, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for counseling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counseling
  1. reassurance
  2. consulting
  3. guiding
  4. advising
  5. suggesting
  6. consolation
  7. advisory
  8. coaching
Noun
  • These could include military-to-military engagement and security reassurances among the United States, South Korea, and North Korea, or greater transparency around military exercises—allowing observers on a reciprocal basis, for example.
    — Stephen E. Biegun, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Scanlon said Murphy’s humor from the outset of the call gave him reassurance about the senator’s recovery and mindset.
    — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of reassurance
Adjective
  • McKinsey could also slash as many as 2,000 non-consulting staff in one of its biggest round of layoffs ever, Bloomberg reported last month, citing unnamed sources close to the matter.
    — Anna Cooban, CNN, 23 Mar. 2023
  • The report also found McKinsey officials used their contract with the government to drum up even more consulting work with private companies.
    — Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2022
Definition of consulting
Verb
  • But the Dodgers’ first attempt at guiding him though a full two-way season crashed and burned in the wake of a lingering left knee injury and recurring right biceps issue.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2026
  • With Miami, Moskowitz wants to show the rest of the country a system where rigor and competition are the guiding principles and teachers unions are the biggest roadblocks.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of guiding
Verb
  • In 2025, Commerce received about 250 notices from January through the end of October advising of nearly 17,500 layoffs.
    — News Service Of Florida, Sun Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Governments Advise Stockpiling Next week's alert comes amid a series of warnings from world governments advising citizens to start stockpiling essential goods and provisions in the event of a major incident.
    — Tom Sanders, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of advising
Verb
  • Along with the wealth of studies suggesting a reliance on these tools impacts critical thinking , many school districts are wary of thrusting a technology that’s become synonymous with effortless cheating at school assignments into students’ hands.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Scientists studying the phenomenon say there are patches of desert in bloom where flowers have never previously been recorded, suggesting that bulbs have remained dormant there since before the phenomenon was first studied in detail in 1997.
    — John Bartlett, NPR, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of suggesting
Noun
  • The middle passenger gets both armrests as a small consolation.
    — Tricia Goss, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Close, however, isn’t much consolation for a franchise that keeps landing on the wrong side of the scoreboard and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of consolation
Adjective
  • In a closed-door meeting this week, a PAHO advisory commission is looking at genetic evidence to determine if the same measles virus has been spreading for one year or more in the outbreaks that have torn through North America starting in 2024.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Nov. 2026
  • The defense calculated an advisory sentencing range of 18 to 24 months but sought a shorter prison term, citing Enriquez’s personal circumstances, need for treatment and lack of violent history.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of advisory
Verb
  • Also honored was Pat Murphy, the manager of the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers and someone who won 73% of his games while coaching at Notre Dame.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Penalties, special teams and offensive line play are the three areas impacted by coaching the most, and the Horned Frogs have failing grades in each category outside of punter John Hoyet Chance.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of coaching

Browse Nearby Words

counselee
counseling
counselor
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Counseling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counseling. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on counseling

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about counseling

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

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
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All