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)
-
deliberates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deliberated,
past participle, past
-
deliberating
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
deliberates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deliberated,
past participle, past
-
deliberating
present participle
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
-
deliberatenessnoun
-
deliberatornoun
-
nondeliberatenessnoun
-
overdeliberatenessnoun
-
undeliberatenessnoun
-
overdeliberateverb
-
redeliberateverb
-
predeliberateverb (used with object)
-
nondeliberateadjective
-
overdeliberateadjective
-
predeliberateadjective
-
quasi-deliberateadjective
-
undeliberateadjective
-
undeliberatingadjective
-
well-deliberatedadjective
-
deliberatelyadverb
-
undeliberatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
deliberatesimple
-
deliberatessimple
-
have deliberatedperfect
-
has deliberatedperfect
-
am deliberatingprogressive
-
are deliberatingprogressive
-
is deliberatingprogressive
-
have been deliberatingperfect progressive
-
has been deliberatingperfect progressive
Past
-
deliberatedsimple
-
had deliberatedperfect
-
was deliberatingprogressive
-
were deliberatingprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
"They are a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and undermine consumers' confidence in it -- a warning that we must take seriously," Hansen said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
She used the project as an example of a personal goal that required deliberate attention, even when the necessary space was already waiting.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
This includes deliberate misuse by bad actors for cyberattacks, and also situations where humans lose control of advanced AI systems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Fashion critic Friedman notes that Talarico's handcrafted Lucchese cowboy boots "are a very deliberate choice that allows him to speak to all different kinds of constituencies in Texas".
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Yet he was as deliberate about setting up his motel room as a military ritual.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
And so, I think there has to be both a change to the way the Senate deliberates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
The Fed is considering this scenario as it deliberates the future of monetary policy.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
While the jury deliberates Majors' fate, the actor faces up to a year in jail if he is convicted of all four charges.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2023
Individual states have taken actions intending to stop online danger for children as Congress deliberates.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 30, 2023
Whatever this self may be, it is something which thinks, and deliberates, and resolves, and acts, and suffers.
From Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death by F. W. H. (Frederic William Henry) Myers
Jurors deliberated for just under four hours before delivering a majority verdict at the end of a trial which began two weeks ago.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Some bankers at JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup were canceling meetings, while personnel around JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon and Citi’s Jane Fraser deliberated over whether the chief executives should attend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
The jury deliberated for less than three hours before reaching its verdict.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The verdict in the death of Wilver Blanco came after jurors deliberated for a little more than four hours over two days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
I deliberated for a moment, and decided she meant it.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
Personnel around JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon and Citi’s Jane Fraser are actively deliberating whether to go but are concerned about the risks, some of the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
The jury is expected to begin deliberating Friday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The jury, made up of nine women and three men, spent six days deliberating the case and twice sent notes to the judge indicating they could not reach a unanimous verdict.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Attorneys for both sides made closing arguments on Thursday before the jury began deliberating.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
We came to a T in the road and stopped, the pigeon deliberating between left and right.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
