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
“Among the Arnaults, apparently, we don’t discuss, we plot; we don’t deliberate, we compete,” he wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Police Scotland described the incident as "deliberate and despicable" and are asking for anyone with information to come forward.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 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
Each paper made great play of the fact that Rebecca’s body had been found the day after the fancy dress ball, as though there was something deliberate about it.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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
"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
It meets and deliberates in person —not via Zoom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2023
He was deliberating; and I wish you to understand that in a case like this "the child that deliberates is lost."
From Little Grandfather by May, Sophie
On Tuesday, the jury deliberated for more than four hours before finding Khan guilty, but cleared Chowdhury.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The jury was sent out on Tuesday, they deliberated for around six hours and reached a verdict on Wednesday afternoon.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
“Given the length of this trial, they haven’t deliberated for an inordinate amount of time at this point,” Williams argued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The nine-person panel in the blockbuster trial deliberated for less than two hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
I deliberated for a moment, and decided she meant it.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
Several people who work for clinics or businesses selling peptides are on the panel, which will continue deliberating on Friday.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
After deliberating for four months, the court will rule whether to confirm, overturn or adapt the verdict and sentence handed down on Le Pen in March 2025.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 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
In the case underway in Los Angeles, a jury has been deliberating for eight days over social media harm allegations against Meta and YouTube after several weeks of testimony and arguments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
Here, leaning over the banister, I cried out suddenly, and without at all deliberating on my words—
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
