Definition
an elected member of a local government council
Etymology
Middle English, from Old French 'conseilleur', from Latin 'consilium' meaning 'advice, counsel'
Kelly Says
Don't confuse councillor (government official) with counselor (advisor) - they're spelled differently in British vs American English!
Translations
ARالعربية
عضو مجلس
ʿuḍw majlis
DEDeutsch
Stadtrat
ʃtatʁaːt
ELΕλληνικά
συμβούλος
simˈvulos
ESEspañol
concejal
konsehal
FISuomi
kaupunginvaltuutettu
kauˈpuŋkinˌʋaltuʔtɛtːu
FRFrançais
conseiller
kɔ̃sɛjɛ
HEעברית
חבר מועצה
ḥaver moʿatsa
HUMagyar
tanácsnok
tɒnaːtʃnok
IDBahasa Indonesia
anggota dewan
aŋɡɔtɔ dɛwan
IGIG
ọnụ na-achị
ɔnʊ naatʃi
ITItaliano
consigliere
konsiʎˈʎɛːre
MSBahasa Melayu
ahli majlis
ahli madʒlis
MYမြန်မာ
အမှုဆောင်
əm̥òu sʰàʊŋ
NLNederlands
raadslid
raːtslid
PTPortuguês
vereador
vɛɾiɐˈdoɾ
RORomână
consilier
konsiˈliɛr
RUРусский
советник
sɐvʲɛtˈnʲik
SVSvenska
stadsfullmäktig
stadsfʊlmɛktɪɡ
SWKiswahili
mshauri
mʃauri
TAதமிழ்
கவுன்சிலர்
kavuṇcilar
TEతెలుగు
కౌన్సిలర్
kauṇsilar
THไทย
สมาชิกสภา
sàmʊ̄ʔsāpʰā
TRTürkçe
meclis üyesi
medʒlis yjesi
UKУкраїнська
радник
radˈnɪk
VITiếng Việt
đại biểu
ɗaɪ˧˦ bjɛw
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Historically coded male; female equivalent 'councillress' was rarely used. English now uses 'councillor' gender-neutrally, but embedded assumption of male default in governance.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'councillor' for all genders. If context requires clarity, pair with names/pronouns.
Empowerment Note
Women have served as town councillors since early 20th century in most democracies, though often excluded from senior leadership roles until late 1900s.