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
Explanation
Deliberative means carefully thought through or discussed. A jury meticulously considering all the evidence before reaching a verdict is one example of a deliberative process. If your mom is offered a great job in another country, she may respond immediately, but she's likely to be more deliberative, going over the pros and cons of moving far away for work that she loves. When you do something deliberative, you deliberate, carefully weighing all the options before making a decision. The Latin root deliberare means "consider carefully," or literally "weigh well."
Vocabulary lists containing deliberative
Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary from Reading 2, Unit 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Thoughtful
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
There are, however, still tangible benefits to this deliberative approach.
From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026
If Seth wanted a fast decision—to short-circuit the deliberative process through which the company made most decisions—we wanted to hear the cast read the script.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
Then the more deliberative System 2 thinking will kick in, where we consider more variables, including our own biases and those of others.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
As cognitive scientists Keith Stanovich and Richard West have shown, humans possess two systems of thought: One fast and emotional, the other slow and deliberative.
From Salon • Nov. 3, 2025
These are what—in connection with forensic rhetoric in particular, though they have their analogues in the deliberative sphere—Aristotle calls “nontechnical proofs.”
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
