aforethought

American  

[uh-fawr-thawt, uh-fohr-] / əˈfɔrˌθɔt, əˈfoʊr- /

adjective

1. thought of previously; premeditated (usually used predicatively).

   with malice aforethought.

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noun

1. premeditation; forethought.

aforethought British  

/ əˈfɔːˌθɔːt /

adjective

1. (immediately postpositive) premeditated (esp in the phrase malice aforethought )

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Etymology

Origin of aforethought

First recorded in 1575–85; afore + thought ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aforethought

Everything he has done in his whole life has been with malice aforethought.

From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2022

And unlike many of the distortions floating around in social media, this one didn’t arise from malice aforethought, or result from anyone trying to perpetrate a scam or manipulate reality.

From New York Times ● Dec. 18, 2018

As Regina George, the reigning mean girl with malice aforethought, Taylor Louderman is a contender for lead actress in a musical.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2018

Armando Iannucci’s absurdist comedy reveals this in an extremely loose manner of speaking, with malice aforethought, straight-faced glee and formidable sharpshooting that occasionally misfires.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2018

"But, if your supposition is to hold good, how did your father happen to be in possession of that dagger, which evidently was made with malice aforethought, as the lawyers say?"

From No Clue A Mystery Story by James Hay

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Related Words

• calculated
• careful
• cautious
• cold-blooded
• conscious
• meticulous
• premeditated
• prudent
• purposeful
• studious
• thoughtful
• willful

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