What does "advice" mean?
An opinion offered to guide behavior in an effort to be helpful.
Advice
/ədˈvaɪs/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An opinion offered to guide behavior in an effort to be helpful.
- Grammar: advice is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: academic advice, admonishment, admonishments, admonition.
- Useful contrasts: russian instruktsiya, dictates, disregard.
- Usage evidence: You should have acted on her advice.
How to use "advice"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "advice" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "advice" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "advice" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "advice" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "advice" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "academic advice" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "advice", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An opinion offered to guide behavior in an effort to be helpful. uncountable
"She was offered various pieces of advice on what to do."
- 2 a proposal for an appropriate course of action wordnet
- 3 Deliberate consideration; knowledge. obsolete, uncountable
"How shall I dote on her with more advice, That thus without advice begin to love her?"
- 4 Information or news given; intelligence archaic, countable, uncountable
"late advices from France"
- 5 In language about financial transactions executed by formal documents, an advisory document. countable
"An advice of an incoming settlement payment order may be given to an off-line receiving bank."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 In commercial language, information communicated by letter; used chiefly in reference to drafts or bills of exchange uncountable
"a letter of advice"
- 7 A communication providing information, such as how an uncertain area of law might apply to possible future actions countable
"An advice issued by a Monitoring Committee could be applicable in a Dutch court"
- 8 Counseling to perform a specific legal act. uncountable
"An honest oath taken under advice of counsel, therefore, is not perjury"
- 9 Counseling to perform a specific illegal act. uncountable
- 10 In aspect-oriented programming, the code whose execution is triggered when a join point is reached. countable
Verb
- 1 Misspelling of advise. alt-of, misspelling
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"You should have acted on her advice."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "advice"?
Common synonyms include: academic advice, admonishment, admonishments, admonition, advisement, advocacy.
How do you use "advice" in a sentence?
You should have acted on her advice.
How do you pronounce "advice"?
Pronounced /ədˈvaɪs/.
Etymology
From Middle English avys, from Old French avis, rebracketed from the phrase ce m'est a vis (“I think”, “it seems to me”, literally “it is to my view”), where vis is from Latin vīsus (“vision, sight”). The unhistoric -d- was introduced during the 15th century due to influence from advise and ad-, see advance. Doublet of aviso. See vision, and compare avise, advise. Mostly displaced native Old English rǣd (see modern rede).