deliberately

adverb

de·​lib·​er·​ate·​ly di-ˈli-bə-rət-lē 

-ˈlib-rət-

: in a deliberate manner: such as

a

: with full awareness of what one is doing : in a way that is intended or planned

trying deliberately to mislead us

a deliberately harsh review

It's very clear, however, that organizations funded in part by the fossil fuel industry have deliberately tried to undermine the public's understanding of the scientific consensus by promoting a few skeptics.

—Joel Achenbach

b

: in a way that is not hurried : slowly and carefully

speaking clearly and deliberately

He moves deliberately, almost cautiously, and he speaks with the assurance of someone who is accustomed to being listened to.

—Alec Wilkinson

Synonyms of deliberately

• intentionally
• purposely

Examples of deliberately in a Sentence

deliberately chose to break the rules

Recent Examples on the Web

Our criminal system deliberately places the burden on the government and tolerates the possibility that guilty people will go free rather than lower the standard required to convict. — Monu Bedi, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026

Levi argues that the Blast files were deliberately compromised to distract from their contents. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

Her work combined British tailoring and historical references with deliberately confrontational elements, enthusiasts say. — Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026

Because of the deliberately micro size, too, the team managing the Low can be nimble and respond both to community requests and wide releases in funny ways that Alamo and AMC can’t. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English deliberatly "with due consideration," from deliberate deliberate entry 2 + -ly -ly entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above