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)
verb (used without object)
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
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nondeliberatenessnoun
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overdeliberatenessnoun
-
undeliberatenessnoun
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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:
D4vd's defense lawyer Blair Berk said "there was no evidence of deliberate intention to kill."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Issuing the summons against the four men last year, District Judge Stephen Leake said the EA alleged there had been "a deliberate plan by officers of the company to manipulate the OSM regime".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
In addition, the incident was not caused by "an aggressive or deliberate manoeuvre", and it was on the opening lap, when more leeway is applied.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
They then go into a private room no one else is allowed to enter so that they can deliberate in secret.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
Harsnett had been much influenced by Reginald Scot, and had set out to prove that cases of supposed demonic possession were in fact deliberate frauds.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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
This one-year mark comes on the heels of reported upticks in crimes against Jewish and Palestinian communities and as the state Legislature deliberates a reparations package that aims to remedy the legacy of slavery.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2024
"Judges routinely give a 'clean up' instruction before a jury deliberates, telling them not to construe anything the court says as evidence, or as a suggestion of what their verdict should be," she tweeted.
From Salon ● May 1, 2023
This Consistory is in a proper Sense the Pope’s Council of State, wherein he deliberates secretly with the Cardinals on the most important Affairs of the Holy See.
On Tuesday, the jury deliberated for more than four hours before finding Khan guilty, but cleared Chowdhury.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Juries deliberated and judges delivered sentences, some of which were commuted by the state’s governors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for 10 hours over three days before coming to their verdicts.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The Chicago jury, which deliberated from around two hours, found that "the total amount of damages suffered by Plaintiff is $49.5 million", according to documents.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
He asked them how long they had deliberated before they bought what they bought.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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
Jurors first indicated that they were at an impasse on Thursday afternoon, after deliberating for more than 13 hours.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Jurors spent three weeks viewing internal correspondence and hearing testimony, and arrived at a verdict after deliberating for roughly two hours.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
If so, his lawsuit could be thrown out before the jury even starts deliberating the merits of the case.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
“Well,” said he, in a deliberating manner, “for five minutes, perhaps.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
