de·lib·er·ate
di-ˈli-bə-ˌrāt 
deliberated; deliberating
: to think about or discuss issues and decisions carefully
The jury deliberated for several days before reaching a verdict.
: 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
de·lib·er·ate
di-ˈli-bə-rət
-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
Claudia Roth Pierpont2
: 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
Synonyms
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 WebGabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2023
State senators, serving as jurors, will deliberate on 16 of 20 articles of impeachment behind closed doors before convening to vote on each individually.
—Lauren McGaughy, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
Researchers and justices say who sits on the bench can lead to different conversations as judges deliberate, and ultimately to different outcomes.
—Aaron Mendelson, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
The jury deliberated for just four hours before returning the guilty verdict.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
Jurors began deliberating Friday and came back with a verdict the same day.
—Dan Morse, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2023
As of this writing, other countries are deliberating sending more tanks, and a multinational Leopard 2 tank force that could consist of more than 100 tanks appears likely.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 6 Sep. 2023
The jury deliberated for about three hours before convicting him of murder and weapons charges.
—Shawn Nottingham, CNN, 5 Sep. 2023
During the course of the trial, more than 600 pieces of evidence were considered by the jury members, who deliberated for about two hours before returning guilty verdicts.
—Caroline Silva, ajc, 1 Sep. 2023
Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023
His work has also been slower and more deliberate than tech entrepreneurs of the past.
—Barbara Ortutay, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Sep. 2023
The good news is there is a way to interrupt this cycle, make better decisions under stress, and lessen the experience of burnout: deliberate calm.
—Jacqueline Brassey, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2023
Throughout its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly and systematically attacked civilians and struck schools, markets and residences as a deliberate tactic to instill fear in the populace.
—Alexander Cardia, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
While the two stars didn’t match outfits from head-to-toe, their cohesive skirts strongly suggest some deliberate coordination.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2023
The management of high-risk incidents in Ukraine has been characterized by gradualism, deliberate ambiguity, and political caution.
—Austin Carson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2023
The four-count indictment charges each of them with deprivation of rights under the color of law through excessive force and failure to intervene, and through deliberate indifference; conspiracy to witness tampering, and obstruction of justice through witness tampering.
—Adrian Sainz and Jonathan Mattise, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Sep. 2023
Very early on, a deliberate decision was made to organize professionally as a business, one of the first in a creative economy that literally didn’t exist at the time.
—Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2023
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Verb
The vote came on Saturday following a two-week trial and a day of deliberating.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2023
State senators, serving as jurors, will deliberate on 16 of 20 articles of impeachment behind closed doors before convening to vote on each individually.
—Lauren McGaughy, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
Researchers and justices say who sits on the bench can lead to different conversations as judges deliberate, and ultimately to different outcomes.
—Aaron Mendelson, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
The jury deliberated for just four hours before returning the guilty verdict.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
Jurors began deliberating Friday and came back with a verdict the same day.
—Dan Morse, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2023
As of this writing, other countries are deliberating sending more tanks, and a multinational Leopard 2 tank force that could consist of more than 100 tanks appears likely.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 6 Sep. 2023
The jury deliberated for about three hours before convicting him of murder and weapons charges.
—Shawn Nottingham, CNN, 5 Sep. 2023
During the course of the trial, more than 600 pieces of evidence were considered by the jury members, who deliberated for about two hours before returning guilty verdicts.
—Caroline Silva, ajc, 1 Sep. 2023
Adjective
Both were calls where the actual hit was more incidental to the play than deliberate.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023
His work has also been slower and more deliberate than tech entrepreneurs of the past.
—Barbara Ortutay, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Sep. 2023
The good news is there is a way to interrupt this cycle, make better decisions under stress, and lessen the experience of burnout: deliberate calm.
—Jacqueline Brassey, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2023
Throughout its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly and systematically attacked civilians and struck schools, markets and residences as a deliberate tactic to instill fear in the populace.
—Alexander Cardia, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
While the two stars didn’t match outfits from head-to-toe, their cohesive skirts strongly suggest some deliberate coordination.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2023
The management of high-risk incidents in Ukraine has been characterized by gradualism, deliberate ambiguity, and political caution.
—Austin Carson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2023
The four-count indictment charges each of them with deprivation of rights under the color of law through excessive force and failure to intervene, and through deliberate indifference; conspiracy to witness tampering, and obstruction of justice through witness tampering.
—Adrian Sainz and Jonathan Mattise, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Sep. 2023
Very early on, a deliberate decision was made to organize professionally as a business, one of the first in a creative economy that literally didn’t exist at the time.
—Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2023
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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 30 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
deliberate
1 of 2 verb
de·lib·er·ate
di-ˈlib-ə-ˌrāt
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
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
deliberated; deliberating
: to think about and weigh or discuss issues and decisions carefully
the jury retired to deliberate
: to think about or evaluate
deliberate
2 of 2 adjective
de·lib·er·ate
di-ˈli-bə-rət
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
Nglish: Translation of deliberate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of deliberate for Arabic Speakers
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