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deliberate

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word deliberate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of deliberate are intentional, voluntary, and willing. While all these words mean "done or brought about of one's own will," deliberate implies full consciousness of the nature of one's act and its consequences.

deliberate acts of sabotage

When is intentional a more appropriate choice than deliberate?

The meanings of intentional and deliberate largely overlap; however, intentional stresses an awareness of an end to be achieved.

the intentional concealment of vital information

When is it sensible to use voluntary instead of deliberate?

In some situations, the words voluntary and deliberate are roughly equivalent. However, voluntary implies freedom and spontaneity of choice or action without external compulsion.

a voluntary confession

Where would willing be a reasonable alternative to deliberate?

While the synonyms willing and deliberate are close in meaning, willing implies a readiness and eagerness to accede to or anticipate the wishes of another.

willing obedience

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deliberate
Adjective
At least 30 people were injured — seven critically — after a car plowed into a crowd of people outside a nightclub in Los Angeles early Saturday morning in what police believe was a deliberate act. Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025 The Journal also cited cockpit voice recordings in which one pilot frantically asked the more senior pilot why the engines had been cut—a moment that has become central to speculation about deliberate action. Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025
Verb
Patterson has pleaded not guilty and has always maintained that the incident was a horrible, tragic accident, and the new show announcement comes with the defendant back in the press as the jury in her murder trial deliberates. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 3 July 2025 Jurors began deliberating in U.S. District Court in lower Manhattan on Monday. Katrina Kaufman, CBS News, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for deliberate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deliberate
Adjective
  • Read more Dua and Callum’s Couple Style Is, Like Them, Hot Turner’s low-key but considered looks are the perfect backdrop to his girlfriend’s more mercurial wardrobe.
    Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Working from Jeff Nathanson’s screenplay, Jenkins tries to allay a clunky narrative with his intimate and considered style.
    Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The discovery triggered a kind of synaptic flooding, a wave of memory overwhelming its conscious embankment.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
  • Processing cheap rare earth is a nasty business using dangerous acid precursors that come with inherent risks, which bump up the prices of processing in the environmentally conscious West.
    Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • Based on historical probabilities, traders may contemplate taking a position prior to the earnings announcement.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
  • Don't forget outlier contests and Harris' possible return in California One feature of the 2026 gubernatorial races could be the return of Kamala Harris to the national stage, as the former vice president continues to contemplate a run for California governor.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 27 July 2025
Adjective
  • Players initially keep their cards secret, so every decision involves some amount of calculated risk.
    Andrew Montequin, jsonline.com, 29 July 2025
  • Significantly cheaper than Williams and Diaz, the 27-year-old is a calculated gamble for the Catalans.
    Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Adjective
  • The program also focuses on ensuring participation remains voluntary and contingent upon parental consent.
    William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • On June 9, Alma Pak International LLC announced a voluntary recall of 400 boxes of its organic blueberries due to the presence of Listeria monocytogenes.
    Raven Brunner, People.com, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • The Rafael Devers blockbuster is probably the biggest deal that will go down, but the temptation is there to ponder other earthshaking possibilities, no matter how remote.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 11 July 2025
  • Viewing the team’s three-year stint here as an audition of sorts, officials have pondered if the local enthusiasm for baseball could help prove the Sacramento region as a welcome home for MLB.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2025
Adjective
  • As the investigation continues, a growing body of evidence suggests the possibility that the crash was intentional, fueled debate over how pilots are screened, supported and monitored for mental health concerns.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025
  • For example, many industries are intentional about cultivating parasocial relationships, such as professional sports leagues with their athletes, music companies with their artists, and even political parties with their candidates.
    Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
Verb
  • In fact, as the country debates effective severe weather warning protocols in the aftermath of deadly flash flooding in Texas, the siren community has been vocal about their usefulness.
    Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 25 July 2025
  • Each body will debate their respective positions, before the three enter into a trilogue to come to a final proposal.
    Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deliberate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deliberate. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.

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