Log InSign Up Games & Quizzes Thesaurus Features Word Finder Word of the Day More adjective2 Synonyms Synonym Chooser Example Sentences Word History Entries Near Kids Save Word deliberate1 of 2verb de·lib·er·ate di-ˈli-bə-ˌrāt deliberated; deliberating Synonyms of deliberate intransitive verb : to think about or discuss issues and decisions carefullyThe jury deliberated for several days before reaching a verdict. transitive verb : to think about deliberately and often with formal discussion before reaching a decisiondeliberate the question was deliberating whether or not to accept the offer deliberate 2 of 2adjective de·lib·er·ate di-ˈli-bə-rət -ˈlib-rət 1 : characterized by or resulting from careful and thorough considerationa 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 consequencesa deliberate exaggeration a deliberate act of protest 3 : slow, unhurried, and steady as though allowing time for decision on each individual action involvedThe jeweler worked at a deliberate pace. deliberateness noun Synonyms Verb chew over cogitate consider contemplate debate entertain eye kick around meditate mull (over) perpend ponder pore (over) question revolve ruminate study think (about or over) turn weigh wrestle (with) Adjective advised calculated considered knowing measured reasoned studied thoughtful thought-out weighed See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 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 Example Sentences VerbThe jury deliberated for two days before reaching a verdict.They will deliberate the question.AdjectiveShe spoke in a clear, deliberate manner.He advocates a slow and deliberate approach to the problem. Recent Examples on the WebVerb The jury deliberated about five hours over two days before reaching a verdict.—Peter Smith, BostonGlobe.com, 16 June 2023Executives and anchors deliberated on how to hold onto the audience by covering Trump’s false voter-fraud claims, even though their own reporting determined the election was fair.—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2023See More 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 centurySee more words from the same century Dictionary Entries Near deliberate deliberant deliberate deliberately See More Nearby Entries Cite this Entry Style MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster “Deliberate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deliberate. Accessed 29 Jun. 2023. Copy Citation Share Post the Definition of deliberate to FacebookFacebook Share the Definition of deliberate on TwitterTwitter Kids Definition deliberate 1 of 2verb de·lib·er·ate di-ˈlib-ə-ˌrāt deliberated; deliberating : to think about carefully : consider problems and decisions carefullydeliberate before answering deliberate 2 of 2adjective de·lib·er·ate di-ˈlib-(ə-)rət 1 : decided on as a result of careful thought : carefully considereda deliberate judgment 2 : done or said on purposea deliberate lie 3 : considering facts and arguments carefully : careful and slow in decidinga deliberate speaker 4 : slow in action : not hurrieddeliberate 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 2verb de·lib·er·ate di-ˈli-bə-ˌrāt deliberated; deliberating intransitive verb : to think about and weigh or discuss issues and decisions carefullythe jury retired to deliberate transitive verb : to think about or evaluate deliberate 2 of 2adjective de·lib·er·ate di-ˈli-bə-rət 1 : characterized by or resulting from careful considerationespecially : characterized by or resulting from evaluation done in a cool state of blood and with a fixed purposedeliberate murder compare PREMEDITATED 2 : characterized by an understanding of the nature of a thing or act and its consequencesdeliberate falsehoods deliberately adverb deliberateness noun More from Merriam-Webster on deliberate Nglish: Translation of deliberate for Spanish Speakers Britannica English: Translation of deliberate for Arabic Speakers Last Updated: 19 Jun 2023 - Updated example sentencesLove words? Need even more definitions? Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! MERRIAM-WEBSTER UNABRIDGED Can you solve 4 words at once?Play WORD OF THE DAY dyed-in-the-wool See Definitions and Examples » Get Word of the Day daily email! WORDS AT PLAYPalter, Dissemble, and Other Words for LyingTrust us Skunk, Bayou, and Other Words with Native American OriginsYou've used more than you might think Words For Things You Didn't Know Have Names, Vol. 2When 'thingamajig' and 'thingamabob' just won't do When Were Words First Used?Look up any year to find out ASK THE EDITORSWhat Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?How 'literally' can mean 'figuratively' How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.) Why Is There a 'C' in 'Indict'?And who put it there, anyway? 'Everyday' vs. 'Every Day'A simple trick to keep them separate WORD GAMESName That Dish!Some mouth-watering food for thought TAKE THE QUIZ Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 2A quiz to (peak/peek/pique) your interest. TAKE THE QUIZ Name That ThingYou know what it looks like… but what is it cal... TAKE THE QUIZ Spelling Bee QuizCan you outdo past winners of the National Spelli... TAKE THE QUIZ Merriam Webster Learn a new word every day. Delivered to your inbox! OTHER MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARIES MERRIAM-WEBSTER'S UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY SCRABBLE® WORD FINDER MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY API NGLISH - SPANISH-ENGLISH TRANSLATION BRITANNICA ENGLISH - ARABIC TRANSLATION FOLLOW US Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Browse the Dictionary: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9 BIO GEO Home Help About Us Shop Advertising Info Dictionary API Contact Us Join MWU Videos Word of the Year Kid's Dictionary Law Dictionary Medical Dictionary Privacy Policy Terms of Use Browse the Thesaurus Browse the Medical Dictionary Browse the Legal Dictionary Browse the Kid's Dictionary © 2023 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated