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:
And they've left lingering questions about what sparked the sudden influx: whether social media posts promising an easy path to Europe just went viral or this was something more deliberate, even organised.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
“A pattern of unchecked and unaddressed mistakes in complying with court orders will be viewed as a deliberate and strategic choice,” he wrote in his order.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
There’s a deliberate ramp-up to the intensity of training camp, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Among the Arnaults, apparently, we don’t discuss, we plot; we don’t deliberate, we compete,” he wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
With deliberate slowness, I set it down on the wood of the desk.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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
Instead of inquiring into what is, he deliberates about what ought to be.
From Dictatorship vs. Democracy (Terrorism and Communism) by Trotzky, Leon Davidovich
The jury was sent out on Tuesday, they deliberated for around six hours and reached a verdict on Wednesday afternoon.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
After a three-week trial, the jury in Los Angeles deliberated for two days before declaring itself deadlocked.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for 10 hours over three days before coming to their verdicts.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Congress had deliberated for weeks before a majority in favor of independence became a unanimous vote, setting the stage for the next step.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Harry deliberated, wondering whether he ought to lie or not.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Now, was Warsh deliberating targeting the long end of the curve with the statement and ensuing press conference?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
PdVSA recently circulated among industry participants a list of two dozen production-sharing agreements it was deliberating with foreign oil companies, according to a person close to the situation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Mark Williams asked the judge Friday morning to give an Allen charge, urging the jurors to continue deliberating.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
By day 20 of the trial, and after 10 hours deliberating, the jury had a unanimous verdict.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
“Well,” said he, in a deliberating manner, “for five minutes, perhaps.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
