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:
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
Ahead of the report, Deutsche Bank analyst Gianmarco Conti initiated coverage of HPE’s stock with a buy rating, calling it the “the deliberate contrarian of the AI server cohort.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
The results suggest that the earliest direction of coiling is imposed by developmental anatomy and physical forces rather than by deliberate muscular movement.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
"Decriminalising suicide must be accompanied by a deliberate expansion of access to quality mental health services. Accessibility must be matched by affordability," APN said in a statement to AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
I reached to brush it off the table, and she stopped me with her nose, looked pointedly at the cactus, and gave a deliberate negative shake of her head, then looked up at me.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
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
While the jury deliberates Majors' fate, the actor faces up to a year in jail if he is convicted of all four charges.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2023
Individual states have taken actions intending to stop online danger for children as Congress deliberates.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 30, 2023
Citizens, members of the Commune, I feel myself incapable of any longer bearing the responsibility of a command where every one deliberates and no one obeys.
From History of the Commune of 1871 by P. Lissagary
“We deliberated carefully over those allegations, and so I would say I disagree with the way or the light in which Mr. Edwards paints his actions,” Guest said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The groundstaff partially removed the covers while officials deliberated.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
After a three-week trial in June, the jury in Los Angeles deliberated for two days before declaring itself deadlocked on the original charges.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The jury in 77-year-old George Gibney's deliberated for more than seven hours before returning a to give its verdict's on Monday afternoon.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
I deliberated for a moment, and decided she meant it.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
The jury, made up of nine women and three men, spent six days deliberating the case and twice sent notes to the judge indicating they could not reach a unanimous verdict.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Jurors told the judge twice before that they were unable to reach a verdict, but were instructed to keep deliberating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
After the jury spent nearly 40 hours deliberating, the judge declared a mistrial on Friday afternoon.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
During Wednesday's hearing, the appeal judges heard that while deliberating their verdict, jurors stayed in the same hotel as members of the prosecution team, a key police witness, and journalists.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
On the evening of October 28, the jury began deliberating.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
