deliberate
Americanadjective
-
carefully weighed or considered; studied; intentional.
a deliberate lie.
- Antonyms:
- accidental
-
characterized by deliberation or cautious consideration; careful or slow in deciding.
Moving away from the city and all its advantages required a deliberate decision.
- Synonyms:
- cautious, circumspect, thoughtful, methodical
- Antonyms:
- rash, precipitate, impulsive
-
leisurely and steady in movement or action; slow and even; unhurried.
moving with a deliberate step.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
adjective
-
carefully thought out in advance; planned; studied; intentional
a deliberate insult
-
careful or unhurried in speech or action
a deliberate pace
verb
Synonym Usage
Deliberate, intentional, premeditated, voluntary refer to something not happening by chance. Deliberate is applied to what is done not hastily but with full realization of what one is doing: a deliberate attempt to evade justice. Intentional is applied to what is definitely intended or done on purpose: an intentional omission. Premeditated is applied to what has been planned in advance: a premeditated crime. Voluntary is applied to what is done by a definite exercise of the will and not because of outward pressures: a voluntary enlistment. See slow.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
undeliberatingadjective
-
undeliberateadjective
-
nondeliberateadjective
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deliberatenessnoun
-
well-deliberatedadjective
-
quasi-deliberateadjective
-
undeliberatinglyadverb
-
nondeliberatenessnoun
-
redeliberateverb
-
deliberatelyadverb
-
predeliberateverb (used with object)
-
deliberatornoun
-
overdeliberateverb
-
undeliberatenessnoun
-
overdeliberatenessnoun
-
predeliberateadjective
-
overdeliberateadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have deliberatedperfect
-
has deliberatedperfect 3rd person singular
-
is deliberatingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
deliberatingparticiple
-
have been deliberatingperfect progressive
-
has been deliberatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
deliberatessingular 3rd person
-
am deliberatingprogressive 1st person singular
-
are deliberatingprogressive
Past
-
had deliberatedperfect
-
was deliberatingprogressive singular
-
deliberatedparticiple
-
deliberatedsimple
-
were deliberatingprogressive plural
-
had been deliberatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deliberate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin dēlīberātus (past participle of dēlīberāre “to consider”), equivalent to dē- “from, away from” + līber(āre) “to balance, weigh” (derivative of lībra “balance, scales”) + -ātus past participle suffix; see de-, -ate 1
Explanation
To deliberate means to carefully think or talk something through — it also means slow and measured, the pace of this kind of careful decision making. If you chose deliberately, you make a very conscious, well-thought-through choice. The verb deliberate ends with an "ate" sound — at the end of a trial, after the evidence is presented, the twelve members of a jury retreat to a room to deliberate, i.e., talk through the trial and come to a verdict. The adjective deliberate ends with an "it" sound. If you walk with a deliberate pace, you're slow and steady.
Vocabulary lists containing deliberate
The Crucible
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Think Tank: Thought-Provoking Vocabulary
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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.
For decades, small grooves on ancient human teeth were thought to be evidence of deliberate tool use – people cleaning their teeth with sticks or fibers, or easing gum pain with makeshift “toothpicks.”
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
The film’s Silicon Valley setting is clearly a very deliberate choice by the filmmakers – and something they remind us of, repeatedly, through such cues.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
The fire service confirmed to the police that the fire had been caused by "deliberate ignition to the roof".
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
“These results represent the compounding impact of deliberate choices we’ve made to strengthen our strategy, sharpen execution and invest in the areas that will drive our future,” Chief Executive Geoff Martha said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
On the night the city council was to deliberate Greenberg’s case, Ann Atwater and 100 other Hayti residents met at St. Joseph’s Church to plan strategy.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
