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

Individually sensible decisions can accumulate into a system that nobody deliberately designed. — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

The former writer deliberately did not search for the video because of their own experience with suicidal ideation. — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026

Next week, for the first time ever, Taiwan will deliberately slow its mobile internet speed, testing how citizens would communicate if bandwidth becomes scarce in emergencies ranging ⁠from disasters to a Chinese invasion. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

Unlike e-commerce giants Amazon or Craigslist, Whatnot deliberately targeted a small but fervent base of collectors. — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 7 Aug. 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