deliberate

[dih-lib-er-it, dih-lib-uh-reyt]

adjective

1. carefully weighed or considered; studied; intentional.

   a deliberate lie.

   Synonyms: willful, purposive, conscious
   Antonyms: accidental

2. 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

3. leisurely and steady in movement or action; slow and even; unhurried.

   moving with a deliberate step.

verb (used with object)

deliberated, deliberating 

1. to weigh in the mind; consider.

   to deliberate a question.

   Synonyms: ponder

verb (used without object)

deliberated, deliberating 

1. to think carefully or attentively; reflect.

   She deliberated for a long time before giving her decision.

   Synonyms: ruminate, cogitate

2. to consult or confer formally.

   The jury deliberated for three hours.

deliberate

adjective

1. carefully thought out in advance; planned; studied; intentional

   a deliberate insult

2. careful or unhurried in speech or action

   a deliberate pace

verb

1. to consider (something) deeply; ponder; think over

Other Word Forms

• deliberately adverb
• deliberateness noun
• deliberator noun
• nondeliberate adjective
• nondeliberateness noun
• overdeliberate adjective
• overdeliberateness noun
• predeliberate adjective
• quasi-deliberate adjective
• redeliberate verb
• undeliberate adjective
• undeliberateness noun
• undeliberating adjective
• undeliberatingly adverb
• well-deliberated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deliberate¹

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; de-, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of deliberate¹

C15: from Latin dēlīberāre to consider well, from lībrāre to weigh, from lībra scales

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The psychologist was asked by the panel if Norris was an unreliable narrator because of poor memory or due to "deliberate rewriting of history".

Read more on BBC

“Those aren’t mistakes; those are deliberate,” said Carol Sobel, a longtime civil rights attorney who is part of the plaintiffs’ legal team.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Jurors reached their unanimous guilty verdicts on Tuesday, after deliberating for four hours and eight minutes over two days.

Read more on BBC

He had calmed down by the end of the official news conference, after which he told BBC Sport: "Of course these things happen, I just hope it wasn't deliberate."

Read more on BBC

It was, he said, deliberate and the activity had increased since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• calculated 
• careful 
• cautious 
• cold-blooded 
• conscious 
• meticulous 
• premeditated 
• prudent 
• purposeful 
• studious 
• thoughtful 
• willful