deliberation

1 a careful weighing of the reasons for or against something gave the matter full deliberation before reaching a decision Synonyms account, advisement, debate, consideration, reflection, study, thoughtRelated Words cogitation, contemplation, meditation, pondering, rumination; introspection; agonizing, hesitation, indecision; premeditationAntonyms short shrift

2 an exchange of views for the purpose of exploring a subject or deciding an issue there was a great deal of deliberation among the representatives about the wording of the public statement Synonyms argument, argumentation, argy-bargy [chiefly British], back-and-forth, colloquy, confab, confabulation, conference, consult, consultation, council, counsel, debate, discussion, dialogue (also dialog), give-and-take, palaver, parley, talkRelated Words bull session, chat room, forum, meeting, powwow, roundtable, seminar, skull session (also skull practice), symposium, talkathon; chat, conversation, rap, words; discourse, disquisition; bargaining, consultancy, negotiation, pourparler