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Synonyms

guidance

American  
[gahyd-ns] / ˈgaɪd ns /

noun

  1. the act or function of guiding; leadership; direction.

    Synonyms:
    government, control, supervision, conduct, management

  2. advice or counseling, especially that provided for students choosing a course of study or preparing for a vocation.

  3. supervised care or assistance, especially therapeutic help in the treatment of minor emotional disturbances.

  4. something that guides.

  5. the process by which the flight of a missile or rocket may be altered in speed and direction in response to controls situated either wholly in the projectile or partly at a base.

guidance British  
/ ˈɡaɪdəns /

noun

  1. leadership, instruction, or direction

    1. counselling or advice on educational, vocational, or psychological matters

    2. ( as modifier )

      the marriage-guidance counsellor

  3. something that guides

  4. any process by which the flight path of a missile is controlled in flight See also guided missile

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonguidance noun
  • preguidance noun
  • self-guidance noun

Etymology

Origin of guidance

First recorded in 1765–75; guide + -ance

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

California voter data expert Paul Mitchell expressed astonishment about the Postal Service’s guidance.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

The statement added that the department has updated guidance, is providing teachers with resources to recognise the signs of incel ideologies and is strengthening guidance for mobile phones in schools.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

When the tech industry executive met with his son’s guidance counselor, the school confirmed that it rarely withheld diplomas from chronically absent pupils, lest these students suffer later in life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The findings could help doctors give clearer dietary guidance to patients.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

The carter is asleep on his jointed perch: the bullocks know the route well, they keep on without guidance from him.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.