deliberate

[adjective dih-lib-er-it; verb dih-lib-uh-reyt]

See more synonyms for deliberate on Thesaurus.com

adjective

carefully weighed or considered; studied; intentional: a deliberate lie.
characterized by deliberation or cautious consideration; careful or slow in deciding: Moving away from the city and all its advantages required a deliberate decision.
leisurely and steady in movement or action; slow and even; unhurried: moving with a deliberate step.

verb (used with object), de·lib·er·at·ed, de·lib·er·at·ing.

to weigh in the mind; consider: to deliberate a question.

verb (used without object), de·lib·er·at·ed, de·lib·er·at·ing.

to think carefully or attentively; reflect: She deliberated for a long time before giving her decision.
to consult or confer formally: The jury deliberated for three hours.

Origin of deliberate

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin dēlīberātus (past participle of dēlīberāre to consider), equivalent to dē- de- + līber(āre) to balance, weigh (derivative of lībra balance, scales) + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsde·lib·er·ate·ly, adverbde·lib·er·ate·ness, nounde·lib·er·a·tor, nounnon·de·lib·er·ate, adjectivenon·de·lib·er·ate·ly, adverbnon·de·lib·er·ate·ness, nouno·ver·de·lib·er·ate, verb, o·ver·de·lib·er·at·ed, o·ver·de·lib·er·at·ing.o·ver·de·lib·er·ate, adjectiveo·ver·de·lib·er·ate·ly, adverbo·ver·de·lib·er·ate·ness, nounpre·de·lib·er·ate, verb (used with object), pre·de·lib·er·at·ed, pre·de·lib·er·at·ing.pre·de·lib·er·ate, adjectivepre·de·lib·er·ate·ly, adverbqua·si-de·lib·er·ate, adjectivequa·si-de·lib·er·ate·ly, adverbre·de·lib·er·ate, verb, re·de·lib·er·at·ed, re·de·lib·er·at·ing.un·de·lib·er·ate, adjectiveun·de·lib·er·ate·ly, adverbun·de·lib·er·ate·ness, nounun·de·lib·er·at·ing, adjectiveun·de·lib·er·at·ing·ly, adverbwell-de·lib·er·at·ed, adjective

Synonyms for deliberate

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1. purposeful; willful. 2. methodical, thoughtful, circumspect, cautious. 4. ponder. 5. cogitate, ruminate.

Synonym study

1. 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. 3. See slow.

Antonyms for deliberate

1. accidental. 2. impulsive, precipitate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for deliberately

voluntarily, knowingly, purposely, consciously, willfully, pointedly, studiously, advisedly, emphatically, freely, independently, resolutely, designed, determinedly, meaningfully, wittingly

Examples from the Web for deliberately

Contemporary Examples of deliberately

He alleges that a third boy, aged 10 or 11, was deliberately hit by a car and killed by a member of the pedophile network in 1979.
Victim: I Watched British MPs Rape and Murder Young Boys
Nico Hines
December 18, 2014
Patrons eat their cannoli slowly and deliberately, dabbing the powdered sugar on their plates with licked fingers.
De Robertis, a New York Great, Bids Farewell
Lizzie Crocker
December 4, 2014
Nonetheless, Turing killed himself on June 7, 1954, in a deliberately prepared way, by eating a cyanide-laced apple.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero
Clive Irving
November 29, 2014
He refused to be drawn on whether the authors might be guilty of a deliberately deception.
Is ‘The Lost Gospel’ Book a Fraud?
Nico Hines
November 12, 2014
Second, penalties need to be increased for lying or deliberately withholding relevant requested information from Congress.
George W. Bush’s Puzzling WMD Coverup
Rick Santorum, Pete Hoekstra
October 27, 2014

Historical Examples of deliberately

Mike had deliberately interposed his body between Allis and the doorway.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
Deliberately he withdrew his attention from the unessentials.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
He was right: he shot as deliberately as he ever did at the butts.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
She spoke coldly and deliberately, "It's not a question of hurry," she replied.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
Of course, Martin had not meant to disappoint her, nor deliberately hurt her.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius

British Dictionary definitions for deliberately

deliberate

adjective (dɪˈlɪbərɪt)

carefully thought out in advance; planned; studied; intentionala deliberate insult
careful or unhurried in speech or actiona deliberate pace

verb (dɪˈlɪbəˌreɪt)

to consider (something) deeply; ponder; think over

Derived Formsdeliberately, adverbdeliberateness, noundeliberator, noun

Word Origin for deliberate

C15: from Latin dēlīberāre to consider well, from lībrāre to weigh, from lībra scales

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

Word Origin and History for deliberately

deliberate

adj.

early 15c., "done with careful consideration," from Latin deliberatus "resolved upon, determined," past participle of deliberare (see deliberation). Meaning "slow, consciously unhurried" is attested by 1590s. Related: Deliberately.

deliberate

1540s, from Latin deliberatus, past participle of deliberare (see deliberation). Related: Deliberated; deliberating.