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aforethought

American  
[uh-fawr-thawt, uh-fohr-] / əˈfɔrˌθɔt, əˈfoʊr- /

adjective

  1. thought thought of previously; premeditated (usually used predicatively).

    with malice aforethought.

noun

  1. premeditation; forethought.

aforethought British  
/ əˈfɔːˌθɔːt /

adjective

  1. (immediately postpositive) premeditated (esp in the phrase malice aforethought )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of aforethought

First recorded in 1575–85; afore + thought 2

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.

Everything he has done in his whole life has been with malice aforethought.

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2022

As Regina George, the reigning mean girl with malice aforethought, Taylor Louderman is a contender for lead actress in a musical.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2018

Armando Iannucci’s absurdist comedy reveals this in an extremely loose manner of speaking, with malice aforethought, straight-faced glee and formidable sharpshooting that occasionally misfires.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2018

They are doing so deliberately and with malice aforethought.

From New York Times • Nov. 5, 2017

But her very eye and gesture told him that she had marked him as he stood there, and had chosen the very seat on which her partner had placed her of malice aforethought.

From The Tenants of Malory Volume 2 of 3 by Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan

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.