deliberative
Americanadjective
-
having the function of deliberating, as a legislative assembly.
a deliberative body.
-
having to do with policy; dealing with the wisdom and expediency of a proposal.
a deliberative speech.
adjective
-
involved in, organized for, or having the function of deliberating
a deliberative assembly
-
characterized by or resulting from deliberation
a deliberative conclusion
Other Word Forms
- deliberatively adverb
- deliberativeness noun
- undeliberative adjective
- undeliberatively adverb
- undeliberativeness noun
Etymology
Origin of deliberative
1545–55; < Latin dēlīberātīvus, equivalent to dēlīberāt ( us ) ( deliberate ) + -īvus -ive
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.
But those have been slower and in some ways more deliberative.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026
There are, however, still tangible benefits to this deliberative approach.
From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026
It is letting companies speed-run a process that can often be a deliberative slog relying on tried-and-true approaches.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026
“This is a deliberative body. It’s a legislative process by definition — all of us have to give up on personal preferences,” he continued.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2025
He really was content, he told me, to stay where he was, building his influence over time, awaiting his turn to speak inside the deliberative cacophony of the Senate, but then a storm arrived.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
