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.

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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

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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

There is also skepticism over whether Warsh’s ambitious timeline and range of subjects will permit the kind of deliberation a committee this size needs to reach consensus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

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

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

After great deliberation, just as people were beginning to fidget, she had played a short piece by Mozart, adapted for children, but the guests wanted her to play “Jingle Bells.”

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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

Is there a reasonable probability that the jury can reach a unanimous verdict on any of the three counts if sent back to the jury room for further deliberations?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

"There is nothing the court can do to assist the jury in their deliberations," a jury note said Thursday.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

She was required to wear a ridiculous uniform and creep around the house as quietly as a mouse, lest she disturb the judge in his seemingly endless and sacrosanct deliberations.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• conference
• consideration
• consultation
• debate
• speculation