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deliberate

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verb de·lib·er·ate \di-ˈli-bə-ˌrāt\

Definition of deliberate

deliberated

;

deliberating
  1. intransitive verb

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

  3. transitive verb

  4. :  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

See deliberate defined for English-language learners

See deliberate defined for kids

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Examples of deliberate in a Sentence

  1. The jury deliberated for two days before reaching a verdict.

  2. They will deliberate the question.

Origin and Etymology of deliberate

see 2deliberate

deliberate Synonyms

Synonyms
chew over, cogitate, consider, contemplate, debate, ponder, entertain, eye, kick around, meditate, mull (over), perpend, pore (over), question, revolve, ruminate, study, think (about or over), turn, weigh, wrestle (with)
Related Words
muse (upon), reflect (on or upon), reminisce; analyze, explore, review; conclude, reason; second-guess, speculate (about); brood (about or over), dwell (on or upon), fixate (on or upon), fret (about or over), obsess (about or over); believe, conceive, opine; absorb, assimilate, digest, drink (in)
Near Antonyms
disregard, ignore, overlook, slight; dismiss, pooh-pooh (also pooh), reject

Synonym Discussion of deliberate

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
2

deliberate

play
adjective de·lib·er·ate \di-ˈli-bə-rət, -ˈlib-rət\

Definition of deliberate

  1. 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. 2 :  characterized by awareness of the consequences a deliberate exaggeration a deliberate act of protest

  3. 3 :  slow, unhurried, and steady as though allowing time for decision on each individual action involved The jeweler worked at a deliberate pace.

deliberately

adverb

deliberateness

noun

See deliberate defined for English-language learners

Examples of deliberate in a Sentence

  1. She spoke in a clear, deliberate manner.

  2. He advocates a slow and deliberate approach to the problem.

Origin and Etymology of deliberate

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

deliberate Synonyms

Synonyms
advised, calculated, considered, knowing, measured, reasoned, studied, thoughtful, thought-out, weighed
Antonyms
casual, unadvised, uncalculated, unconsidered, unstudied
Related Words
aforethought, premeditated, prepense; educated, informed; intentional, purposeful; designed, intended, planned, projected; careful, meticulous; foresighted, forethoughtful, provident, prudent
Near Antonyms
half-cocked, ill-advised; chance, haphazard, hit-or-miss, random; aimless, desultory, purposeless; hasty, hurried, rushed; abrupt, impetuous, sudden; automatic, extemporaneous, impromptu, instinctive, spontaneous

Synonym Discussion of deliberate

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

DELIBERATE Defined for English Language Learners

deliberate

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verb

Definition of deliberate for English Language Learners

  • : to think about or discuss something very carefully in order to make a decision

deliberate

play
adjective

Definition of deliberate for English Language Learners

  • : done or said in a way that is planned or intended : done or said on purpose

  • : done or decided after careful thought

  • : slow and careful

DELIBERATE Defined for Kids

1

deliberate

play
verb de·lib·er·ate \di-ˈli-bə-ˌrāt\

Definition of deliberate for Students

deliberated

;

deliberating

  1. :  to think about carefully

2

deliberate

play
adjective de·lib·er·ate \di-ˈli-bə-rət, -ˈli-brət\

Definition of deliberate for Students

  1. 1 :  showing careful thought a deliberate decision

  2. 2 :  done or said on purpose a deliberate lie

  3. 3 :  slow in action :  not hurried a deliberate pace

deliberately

adverb She deliberately lied!

Law Dictionary

1

deliberate

play
verb de·lib·er·ate \di-ˈli-bə-ˌrāt\

Legal Definition of deliberate

deliberated

deliberating

  2. intransitive verb
    3. :  to think about and weigh or discuss issues and decisions carefully the jury retired to deliberate
  3. transitive verb
    4. :  to think about or evaluate

2

deliberate

play
adjective de·lib·er·ate \di-ˈli-bə-rət\

Legal Definition of deliberate

  1. 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. 2 :  characterized by an understanding of the nature of a thing or act and its consequences deliberate falsehoods

deliberately

adverb

deliberateness

noun

Learn More about deliberate

  1. See words that rhyme with deliberate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for deliberate Spanish Central: Translation of deliberate Nglish: Translation of deliberate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of deliberate for Arabic speakers

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