adviser

noun

ad·​vis·​er əd-ˈvī-zər 

variants or advisor

: someone who gives advice

a financial/investment adviser

She was not signing on as a domestic or foreign-policy adviser …

—Peggy Noonan

In this meeting, Clifford, who had been a senior Truman aide and an adviser to Kennedy, used George Ball's memorandums in pleading that the war could not be won.

—Sidney Blumenthal

In December, she and her thesis advisor, Neal Evans, used the camera, attached to a 50-inch telescope, to look for infant stars in a giant molecular cloud in the constellation Orion.

—Andrew Chaikin

In a real sense, the emperor's astronomical ministers functioned like advisors in a modern president's cabinet, advising him on how best to conduct the affairs of state in a harmonious and effective manner.

—Laurence A. Marschall

Did you know?

What's the difference between adviser and advisor?

Adviser or advisor? It doesn't matter what your computer's spellcheck tells you, adviser and advisor are both correct. Although there is enough overlap between these two words that they are generally considered simply to be different ways to spell the same word, there are some cases in which one tends to be used more often than the other. Some people feel that advisor is more formal, and it tends to be found more often when applied to official positions, such as an advisor to a president. When referring to someone who is serving in a military role, especially when using the term as a euphemism (as when claiming that troops are actually military advisers), then adviser is somewhat more common.

Synonyms

• consigliere
• consultant
• counsel
• counselor
• counsellor

Examples of adviser in a Sentence

our financial adviser had some words of caution about buying a second home

Recent Examples on the Web

Musk, though a frequent presence in the West Wing, was technically an unpaid adviser. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

The university in 2023 held an Influencers Bootcamp, a two-day event hosting faculty and advisers from schools around the country, HBCUs included, to learn more about the program and potential careers in the industry. —Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 June 2025

There were five staffers and advisers from DeSantis’ failed presidential campaign, including deputy campaign manager David Polyansky, adviser Marc Reichelderfer and pollster Ryan Tyson, who each received $169-per-night rooms. —Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 14 June 2025

Prior to this, talks between the U.S. and Israel had appeared to be heading in a more positive direction after Ali Shamkhani—senior adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei—said in May that Iran was willing to accept a deal subject to conditions. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 13 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

advise + -er entry 2, -or entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1536, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for adviser

• advisor
• devisor
• divisor
• franchisor
• incisor
• quantizer
• reviser
• revisor
• advertiser
• analyser
• analyzer
• appetizer