consigliere

noun

con·​sig·​li·​e·​re kōn-(ˌ)sil-ˈye-re 

-ˈyer-ē;

kän-(ˌ)si-glē-ˈye-rā 

-rē,

-ˈyer

plural consiglieri kōn-(ˌ)sil-ˈyer-ē 

kän-(ˌ)si-glē-ˈye-rē

also consiglieres

: a person who serves as an adviser or counselor to the leader of a criminal organization

the consigliere of a Mafia family

I remember both the book and movie [The Godfather] portrayed a sitdown of the dons. Everything was fine except for one thing—Don Corleone had an Irish consigliere. It could never happen.

—Vincent Teresa

also : someone (such as a powerful political consultant) who is being likened in some way to such an adviser

He played a key role in his dad's 1988 campaign, acting as the family consigliere and learning the arts of war from the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater.

—David Hume Kennerly

Bruce Lindsey has always been the most trusted White House consigliere, the go-to guy for putting fires out swiftly—and discreetly.

—John Engen

Did you know?

Consigliere and the Godfather

If you're a fan of The Godfather series of movies, mention of the word consigliere may already have brought to mind the character Tom Hagen. Hagen, the Corleones' family lawyer, is famously dismissed by the Don's successor and son Michael Corleone because he is not a “wartime consigliere.” The word consigliere comes from Italian and has been a part of English since the 17th century; it was originally used of someone who served on a council in Italy. Currently, it most commonly refers to advisers to the Mafia—a use that first appeared in English in a document from a 1963 session of the U.S. Senate. It is also used more generally for someone who is likened in some way to such an adviser.

Synonyms

• adviser
• advisor
• consultant
• counsel
• counselor
• counsellor

Examples of consigliere in a Sentence

the President's trusted consigliere and chief political strategist

Recent Examples on the Web

Tonino from Boardwalk Empire — seeing a pattern with the casting here?), Chickie’s former consigliere who switches sides when the beef between the two would-be bosses becomes a line in the sand. —Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2024

The film was written by Vanity Fair’s longtime Trump chronicler Gabriel Sherman and stars Sebastian Stan as the future president and Jeremy Strong as his onetime consigliere Roy Cohn. —Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

This finally earns Eddie the respect of Jack (Harry Goodwins), Susie’s boxer brother and consigliere. —Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2024

They are also supposed to serve as the big boss’s consiglieres, advising him on their areas of responsibility. —Cai Xia, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from consiglio advice, counsel, from Latin consilium — more at counsel

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

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