Meaning & use
consultant
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Meanings
nouncountable
An expert who is paid to give advice on a specific subject to a company or person.
Grammar: Countable: a management consultant, two consultants.
Patterns
- consultant to someone
- consultant on something
- consultant for something
The bakery hired a marketing consultant to improve its online sales.
She works as an independent IT consultant for small businesses.
A tax consultant helped us fill in the forms correctly.
nouncountableBritishmedical
A senior hospital doctor who has completed specialist training and is in charge of patients in a particular field.
Grammar: Countable and mainly British: a consultant cardiologist.
Patterns
- consultant in something
- a consultant surgeon
The consultant examined the scan and explained the options to her.
He was referred to a consultant at the regional hospital.
After ten years of training, she became a consultant in paediatrics.
Word forms
| plural | consultants |
|---|
Common combinations
- management consultant
- A management consultant reviewed the firm's structure.
- hire a consultant
- The school decided to hire a consultant to redesign its curriculum.
- independent consultant
- As an independent consultant, he chooses his own clients.
- consultant surgeon
- The consultant surgeon led the team in the operating theatre.
- financial consultant
- Our financial consultant suggested saving more each month.
Synonyms and how they differ
- adviser
- An adviser can be anyone who offers guidance, even informally, while a consultant is usually a paid outside professional.
- specialist
- Specialist stresses deep knowledge of one field, whereas consultant stresses being brought in to advise.
- expert
- Expert describes skill itself and need not involve a client, but a consultant sells that skill as a service.
- freelancer
- A freelancer sells any kind of work independently, while a consultant specifically gives advice.
Word family
- consult verb
- to ask an expert or look in a source for advice
- consultation noun
- a meeting to get advice or discuss something
- consultancy noun
- a firm or business that gives expert advice
- consultative adjective
- existing to give advice or hold discussions
Commonly confused: consultant or counsellor?
consultant vs counsellor
A counsellor gives personal or emotional support, whereas a consultant gives expert professional advice.
Practice
The company hired a ___ to advise on how to cut energy costs.
Choose one answer.
A consultant is a paid expert who gives advice. A consumer buys goods and a contestant competes, so neither fits this context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “consultant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.