deliberation
Americannoun
-
deliberations
plural
-
careful consideration before decision.
- Synonyms:
- forethought, reflection
-
formal consultation or discussion.
-
deliberate quality; leisureliness of movement or action; slowness.
noun
-
thoughtful, careful, or lengthy consideration
-
(often plural) formal discussion and debate, as of a committee, jury, etc
-
care, thoughtfulness, or absence of hurry, esp in movement or speech
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of deliberation
1325–75; Middle English deliberacion < Latin dēlīberātiōn- (stem of dēlīberātiō ), equivalent to dēlīberāt ( us ) ( see deliberate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
The process of carefully considering what to do is called deliberation, like your deliberation before making one of the most important decisions in your life. The noun deliberation comes from the Latin word deliberare, meaning “weigh,” or “consider well.” Whenever a person or group needs to work through all of the possible solutions to a problem, this is deliberation. Something that is deliberate is done on purpose, not by chance or accident — deliberation carries this same spirit, in that it is a carefully thought-out process of making a decision.
Vocabulary lists containing deliberation
Hamilton
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"The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton
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The Federalist Papers, No. 1 by Alexander Hamilton
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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:
Tensions in the deliberation room spilled into public view on Thursday afternoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The panel has twice previously sent the judge notes saying it could not come to a unanimous decision, but Thursday was the first hint of rancour in the deliberation room.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Young men, faced with a choice to strive and suffer on behalf of teammates, build virtue not chiefly through deliberation but through action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Three weeks into this deliberation, I met J. He came out of nowhere, it seemed, except I knew exactly where he came from: the same small-ish town that I did, including the same high school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
After a moment’s deliberation, I purchased a flak vest and a Glock 47C pistol, along with three clips of ammo.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
The decision to declare a mistrial after seven days of deadlocked jury deliberations has left the status of the case - and Clancy's future - unclear.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
The judge sent the jury back to deliberate several times and the idea behind juror deliberations is you’re supposed to discuss the evidence with one another with candor, to openly listen.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Justice William Sullivan declared the mistrial Friday, after jurors said they were unable to reach a verdict on the seventh day of deliberations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
“This is being directed by the Main Justice and the US Attorney,” Evans wrote in a remarkably candid account of internal deliberations.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
After less than an hour of deliberations, the twelve men returned to the courtroom.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
