deliberation

American  

[dih-lib-uh-rey-shuhn] / dɪˌlɪb əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

deliberations plural

1. careful consideration before decision.

   Synonyms:

   forethought, reflection

2. formal consultation or discussion.

3. deliberate quality; leisureliness of movement or action; slowness.

---

deliberation British  

/ dɪˌlɪbəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. thoughtful, careful, or lengthy consideration

2. (often plural) formal discussion and debate, as of a committee, jury, etc

3. care, thoughtfulness, or absence of hurry, esp in movement or speech

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondeliberation
  noun
• overdeliberation
  noun
• predeliberation
  noun
• redeliberation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• deliberations
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deliberation deliberations

The State Department declined to say whether Lex Libertas will be among those invited to compete, saying the grant is still under deliberation.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

"This has implications for critical real-world scenarios, like when a radiologist can accurately classify masses on an X-ray as benign or malignant fairly automatically, often without extensive deliberation, thanks to years of training," Cox said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

AI development is outpacing ethical deliberation, and people are already being harmed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

In both cases, ordinary citizens — given time, expert testimony and structured deliberation — reached conclusions that elected politicians had long avoided.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

John would smile, mark his place with deliberation, and come to join her.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

This offers some relief to policymakers after two straight quarters of economic contraction—although Bank of Canada officials debunked talk of a recession, according to minutes of their latest deliberations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

He also acknowledged that the jury was "exhausted" after deliberating from early Thursday morning, adding that "it would be totally wrong" to expect them to continue deliberations in the hours ahead.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Defining the shortfall was the first step taken by the so-called Greenspan Commission when it began its deliberations to restore balance to Social Security in 1982.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

Essayli, meanwhile, criticized jurors, saying they considered things that were not part of the trial — like the Los Angeles Fire Department’s culpability — in their deliberations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Oppenheimer’s exposure to the high-level deliberations in Schenectady impressed upon him, more directly than Lawrence’s scolding, the wisdom of shedding his political entanglements.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• conference
• consideration
• consultation
• debate
• speculation