Meaning & use
counselled
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“counselled” is a form of “counsel”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitiveBritish
Gave someone advice or guidance, especially in a professional or supportive way.
Grammar: Can take an object (counselled the student) or be used without one, often followed by on/about: counselled on career choices.
Patterns
- counsel someone on something
- counsel someone about something
- counsel against doing something
She counselled the new employees on how to handle difficult customers.
The doctor counselled him about the risks of the treatment.
They were counselled against making a rushed decision.
Word forms
| base form | counsel |
|---|---|
| third person singular | counsels |
| past tense (US) | counseled |
| past participle (US) | counseled |
| present participle (US) | counseling |
| present participle (UK) | counselling |
Common combinations
- counsel someone on something
- A financial adviser counselled them on saving for retirement.
- counsel against something
- The lawyer counselled against signing the contract without reading it.
- counsel patience
- Her mentor counselled patience while the results were being checked.
Synonyms and how they differ
- advised
- This is the everyday word; counselled is more formal and often suggests professional or personal guidance.
- guided
- This focuses on showing the way over time, while counselled focuses on giving specific advice.
Word family
- counsel noun
- Advice, especially formal advice; also a lawyer in some legal contexts.
- counsellor noun
- A trained person who gives advice or support.
- counselling noun
- Professional advice or support given to someone.
Commonly confused: counselled or council?
counselled vs council
A council is a group that makes decisions for a town or organization; counsel means advice or to give advice.
Practice
Choose the correct British English sentence.
Choose one answer.
British English doubles the l in counselled, while American English uses counseled. The other spellings are incorrect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “counselled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.