advice

[ ad-vahys ]

noun

1. an opinion or recommendation offered as a guide to action, conduct, etc.:

   I shall act on your advice.

   Synonyms: guidance, caution, warning, admonition

2. a communication, especially from a distance, containing information:

   Advice from abroad informs us that the government has fallen.

   Recent diplomatic advices have been ominous.

   Synonyms: word, intelligence

3. an official notification, especially one pertaining to a business agreement:

   an overdue advice.

   Synonyms: advisory, notice

advice

/ ədˈvaɪs /

noun

1. recommendation as to appropriate choice of action; counsel
2. sometimes plural formal notification of facts, esp when communicated from a distance

Other Words From

• pread·vice noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of advice¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; late Middle English advise; replacing Middle English avis (with ad- ad- for a- a- ⁵ ), Old French a vis (taken from the phrase ce m'est a vis “that is my impression, it seems to me”), from Latin ad ( ad- ) + vīsus “looking, sight” ( visage )

Word History and Origins

Origin of advice¹

C13: avis (later advise ), via Old French from a Vulgar Latin phrase based on Latin ad to, according to + vīsum view (hence: according to one's view, opinion)

Synonym Study

Advice, counsel, recommendation, suggestion, persuasion, exhortation refer to opinions urged with more or less force as worthy bases for thought, opinion, conduct, or action. Advice is a practical recommendation as to action or conduct: advice about purchasing land. Counsel is weighty and serious advice, given after careful deliberation: counsel about one's career. Recommendation is weaker than advice and suggests an opinion that may or may not be acted upon: Do you think he'll follow my recommendation? Suggestion implies something more tentative than a recommendation: He did not expect his suggestion to be taken seriously. Persuasion suggests a stronger form of advice, urged at some length with appeals to reason, emotion, self-interest, or ideals: His persuasion changed their minds. Exhortation suggests an intensified persuasion or admonition, often in the form of a discourse or address: an impassioned exhortation.

Example Sentences

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she was “shocked” by the nomination, saying it reaffirmed the need for the Senate to hold on to its constitutional duty of providing “advice and consent.”

From Salon

"She saw these and demanded to know what happened and then it came out that her son had been badly beaten in the nude, and she came to me for advice," Coltart, now mayor of Bulawayo, told the BBC.

From BBC

Trump’s transition team has sought a work-around, saying he would “provide advice and guidance from outside of Government” with the work concluding by July 2026, according to a news release.

From Los Angeles Times

“I thought and realized that I really have something to tell people, and it’s also more about talking openly about that part of my life that you can’t discuss with family and friends. After all, it’s better to ask advice on how to best bake pot cookies in a chat of like-minded people, and not from your mother, right?”

From Salon

The person in the position should be willing to provide honest advice, Bolton said, even if it is unpopular.

From BBC

Related Words

• aid
• consultation
• encouragement
• guidance
• help
• information
• input
• instruction
• judgment
• lesson
• news
• opinion
• prescription
• proposal
• recommendation
• suggestion
• tip
• view
• warning
• word