deliberate

1 of 2

verb

de·​lib·​er·​ate di-ˈli-bə-ˌrāt How to pronounce deliberate (audio)
deliberated; deliberating

intransitive verb

: to think about or discuss issues and decisions carefully
The jury deliberated for several days before reaching a verdict.

transitive verb

: to think about deliberately and often with formal discussion before reaching a decision
deliberate the question
was deliberating whether or not to accept the offer

deliberate

2 of 2

adjective

de·​lib·​er·​ate di-ˈli-bə-rət How to pronounce deliberate (audio)
-ˈlib-rət
1
: characterized by or resulting from careful and thorough consideration
a deliberate decision
Ms. Barker herself has said that the decision to write about the war was a deliberate response to patronizing reviews of her working-class settings …Claudia Roth Pierpont
2
: characterized by awareness of the consequences
a deliberate exaggeration
a deliberate act of protest
3
: slow, unhurried, and steady as though allowing time for decision on each individual action involved
The jeweler worked at a deliberate pace.
deliberateness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for deliberate

Verb

think, cogitate, reflect, reason, speculate, deliberate mean to use one's powers of conception, judgment, or inference.

think is general and may apply to any mental activity, but used alone often suggests attainment of clear ideas or conclusions.

teaches students how to think

cogitate implies deep or intent thinking.

cogitated on the mysteries of nature

reflect suggests unhurried consideration of something recalled to the mind.

reflecting on fifty years of married life

reason stresses consecutive logical thinking.

able to reason brilliantly in debate

speculate implies reasoning about things theoretical or problematic.

speculated on the fate of the lost explorers

deliberate suggests slow or careful reasoning before forming an opinion or reaching a conclusion or decision.

the jury deliberated for five hours

Adjective

voluntary, intentional, deliberate, willing mean done or brought about of one's own will.

voluntary implies freedom and spontaneity of choice or action without external compulsion.

a voluntary confession

intentional stresses an awareness of an end to be achieved.

the intentional concealment of vital information

deliberate implies full consciousness of the nature of one's act and its consequences.

deliberate acts of sabotage

willing implies a readiness and eagerness to accede to or anticipate the wishes of another.

willing obedience

Examples of deliberate in a Sentence

Verb The jury deliberated for two days before reaching a verdict. They will deliberate the question. Adjective She spoke in a clear, deliberate manner. He advocates a slow and deliberate approach to the problem.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The jury deliberated for just over four hours before returning a verdict, according to CNN affiliate KDRV. Zoe Sottile, CNN, 19 Oct. 2024 The jury deliberated nearly 12 hours over three days before finding Telles guilty. CBS News, 16 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Franko, a wiry man of forty-four with a sharp, deliberate voice, sat reviewing his points for the morning: Arizona’s Proposition 314, a measure designed to allow state officials to round up and deport undocumented border crossers, topped the list. Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024 Take small, deliberate actions that contradict your limiting belief. Lien De Pau, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deliberate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deliberate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Verb

Middle English, from Latin deliberatus, past participle of deliberare to consider carefully, perhaps alteration of *delibrare, from de- + libra scale, pound

First Known Use

Verb

1536, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of deliberate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near deliberate

Cite this Entry

“Deliberate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deliberate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

deliberate

1 of 2 verb
de·​lib·​er·​ate di-ˈlib-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce deliberate (audio)
deliberated; deliberating
: to think about carefully : consider problems and decisions carefully
deliberate before answering

deliberate

2 of 2 adjective
de·​lib·​er·​ate di-ˈlib-(ə-)rət How to pronounce deliberate (audio)
1
: decided on as a result of careful thought : carefully considered
a deliberate judgment
2
: done or said on purpose
a deliberate lie
3
: considering facts and arguments carefully : careful and slow in deciding
a deliberate speaker
4
: slow in action : not hurried
deliberate movements
deliberately adverb
deliberateness noun
Etymology

Verb

from Latin deliberatus, past participle of deliberare "to weigh in the mind," derived from de- "from, away" and libra "scale, pound" — related to equilibrium, libra

Word Origin
To weigh a decision is to think about it carefully, comparing one fact or idea with another as if by balancing them on a scale. The notion that slow and careful thought is like using a scale has given us the word deliberate. Deliberate can be traced back to the Latin verb deliberare, meaning "to weigh in the mind." The core of this word is the noun libra, meaning "a scale." A deliberate decision, therefore, is one that has been carefully weighed.

Legal Definition

deliberate

1 of 2 verb
de·​lib·​er·​ate di-ˈli-bə-ˌrāt How to pronounce deliberate (audio)
deliberated; deliberating

intransitive verb

: to think about and weigh or discuss issues and decisions carefully
the jury retired to deliberate

transitive verb

: to think about or evaluate

deliberate

2 of 2 adjective
de·​lib·​er·​ate di-ˈli-bə-rət How to pronounce deliberate (audio)
1
: characterized by or resulting from careful consideration
especially : characterized by or resulting from evaluation done in a cool state of blood and with a fixed purpose
deliberate murder
compare premeditated
2
: characterized by an understanding of the nature of a thing or act and its consequences
deliberate falsehoods
deliberately adverb
deliberateness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on deliberate

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