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:
But with their capabilities supplemented by human teleoperators, Tau’s robots climbed with deliberate accuracy, albeit a little slowly.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
I’m happy to hear you say that because that was very deliberate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The company said it would not apply to "common versions of user frustration, pushback, dark creative themes, or model testing and research" - suggesting it would only apply in clearly deliberate instances.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
“They do not just cook to share; they cook to remember who they are and where they came from, using food as a deliberate tool to ensure their culture and identity are not lost.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 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
This one-year mark comes on the heels of reported upticks in crimes against Jewish and Palestinian communities and as the state Legislature deliberates a reparations package that aims to remedy the legacy of slavery.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2024
"Judges routinely give a 'clean up' instruction before a jury deliberates, telling them not to construe anything the court says as evidence, or as a suggestion of what their verdict should be," she tweeted.
From Salon ● May 1, 2023
On certain days Hoh goes up to them and deliberates with them concerning the matters which he has lately investigated for the benefit of the state and all the nations of the world.
From Ideal Commonwealths by Sir Saint Thomas More
Lakeeta Vaccaro Hill was denied punitive damages by the six-person jury that deliberated for less than four hours.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 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
The verdicts came after a jury at Northampton Crown Court had deliberated for nearly 11 hours.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
The prosecution rested, and the jury deliberated for five hours.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
There was a Jack Kerouac quote their dad loved to repeat when the family deliberated weekend plans.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
The jury is expected to begin deliberating Friday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Sullivan, who is overseeing the trial, previously urged them to continue deliberating until there is no possible chance of a decision.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
After the jury spent nearly 40 hours deliberating, the judge declared a mistrial on Friday afternoon.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Now, was Warsh deliberating targeting the long end of the curve with the statement and ensuing press conference?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
I’d been deliberating for hours whether or not to ask the question—even how to ask the question—and, finally, I just gave in and made a mess of it.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
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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.
