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)
adjective
-
carefully thought out in advance; planned; studied; intentional
a deliberate insult
-
careful or unhurried in speech or action
a deliberate pace
verb
Related Words
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
- deliberately adverb
- deliberateness noun
- deliberator noun
- nondeliberate adjective
- nondeliberateness noun
- overdeliberate verb
- overdeliberateness noun
- predeliberate verb (used with object)
- quasi-deliberate adjective
- redeliberate verb
- undeliberate adjective
- undeliberateness noun
- undeliberating adjective
- undeliberatingly adverb
- well-deliberated adjective
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; de-, -ate 1
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.
Fadiah wrote on X that being denied entry was "tantamount to a deliberate attack on my scholarly work".
From BBC
"Decisions about permanent stays in Australia should be deliberate decisions of the government, not a random consequence of who had booked a holiday," Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Wednesday.
From BBC
Unlike many freestyle rap hits, Children's Story was planned and written with a deliberate story arc.
From BBC
The Los Angeles jury took much longer to deliberate.
From Los Angeles Times
The Santa Fe jury deliberated for just seven hours before arriving at a judgment — a fraction of the $2 billion the state had asked for.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
