deliberate

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin deliberatus, past participle of delibero (“I consider, weigh well”), from de + *libero, libro (“I weigh”), from *libera, libra (“a balance”); see librate.

Pronunciation

• (adjective):
  • enPR: dĭlĭbʹərət, IPA^(key): /dɪˈlɪbəɹət/
  • enPR: dəlĭbʹərət, IPA^(key): /dəˈlɪbəɹət/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (verb):
  • enPR: dĭlĭbʹərāt, IPA^(key): /dɪˈlɪbəɹeɪt/
  • enPR: dəlĭbʹərāt, IPA^(key): /dəˈlɪbəɹeɪt/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: de‧lib‧er‧ate

Adjective

deliberate (comparative more deliberate, superlative most deliberate)

1. Done on purpose; intentional.

   Tripping me was deliberate action.

   Synonyms: purposeful, volitional; see also Thesaurus:intentional

   Antonyms: unintentional, unwitting

2. Of a person, weighing facts and arguments with a view to a choice or decision; carefully considering the probable consequences of a step; slow in determining.

   The jury took eight hours to come to its deliberate verdict.

   Synonyms: circumspect, thoughtful

3. Formed with deliberation; carefully considered; not sudden or rash.

   a deliberate opinion; a deliberate measure or result

   Synonyms: careful, cautious, well-advised; see also Thesaurus:cautious

   • 1603-4, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure:

     settled visage and deliberate word

4. Not hasty or sudden; slow.
   • 1803, William Wirt, The Letters of the British Spy:

     His enunciation was so deliberate.

Translations

intentional

• Belarusian: наўмы́сны (naŭmýsny)
• Bulgarian: уми́шлен (bg) (umíšlen), преднаме́рен (bg) (prednaméren)
• Catalan: deliberat (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 故意 (gu³ ji³), 特登 (dak⁶ dang¹), 專登／专登 (zyun¹ dang¹)

  Mandarin: 故意 (zh) (gùyì), 蓄意 (zh) (xùyì), 有意 (zh) (yǒuyì), 刻意 (zh) (kèyì), 存心 (zh) (cúnxīn)

• Czech: úmyslný (cs) m, záměrný (cs) m
• Danish: bevidst, overlagt
• Dutch: opzettelijk (nl), opzettelijke (nl), met opzet, voor expres (Flanders)
• Finnish: tarkoituksellinen (fi), tahallinen (fi)
• French: délibéré (fr)
• Galician: deliberado (gl)
• German: absichtlich (de), bewusst (de), vorsätzlich (de)
• Greek: εσκεμμένος (el) (eskemménos)
• Hebrew: מכוון (mekhuvan)
• Hungarian: szándékos (hu)
• Indonesian: sengaja (id)
• Italian: premeditato (it), intenzionale (it), voluto (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 故意の (ja) (こいの, koi no), 作為的 (さくいてき, sakuteki)
• Macedonian: намерен (nameren)
• Maori: whakaānewanewa (this word is a verb), ngaio, mārika (this qualifier is placed after its associated verb)
• Norman: délibéthé
• Norwegian: med vilje
• Polish: zamierzony (pl), umyślny (pl)
• Portuguese: intencional (pt), proposital (pt), de propósito (pt), deliberado (pt)
• Romanian: deliberat (ro), intenționat (ro), voit (ro)
• Russian: умы́шленный (ru) (umýšlennyj), преднаме́ренный (ru) (prednamérennyj), наме́ренный (ru) (namérennyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: намеран, намјеран

  Roman: nameran, namjeran (sh)

• Slovak: zámerný, úmyselný
• Slovene: nameren
• Spanish: deliberado (es), a propósito (es)
• Swedish: avsiktlig (sv), medveten (sv)
• Tagalog: sinadya
• Ukrainian: навми́сний (navmýsnyj), уми́сний (umýsnyj)

of a person, carefully considering the probable consequences of a step

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 謹慎／谨慎 (zh) (jǐnshèn), 谨慎 (zh) (jǐnshèn), 審慎／审慎 (zh) (shěnshèn), 审慎 (zh) (shěnshèn), 慎重 (zh) (shènzhòng)

• Czech: rozvážný m, váhavý m
• Danish: velovervejet, gennemtænkt
• Finnish: harkitseva (fi)
• German: wohlerwogen, wohlüberlegt
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: megfontolt (hu), körültekintő (hu)
• Japanese: 慎重 (ja) (しんちょう, shinchō)
• Maori: hakune
• Norwegian: overveid
• Portuguese: deliberado (pt)
• Russian: осмотри́тельный (ru) (osmotrítelʹnyj), рассуди́тельный (ru) (rassudítelʹnyj), осторо́жный (ru) (ostoróžnyj)

carefully considered

• Bulgarian: обми́слен (bg) (obmíslen)
• Czech: promyšlený m
• Danish: velovervejet, gennemtænkt
• Dutch: doordacht (nl), doordachte, weloverwogen (nl)
• Finnish: harkittu (fi)
• French: concerté (fr)
• German: wohlerwogen, wohlüberlegt, überlegt (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: megfontolt (hu), átgondolt (hu), körültekintő (hu)
• Japanese: 思慮深い (しりょぶかい, shiryobukai)
• Maori: hakune, ngaio
• Norwegian: veloverveid
• Portuguese: deliberado (pt)
• Russian: обду́манный (ru) (obdúmannyj), осо́знанный (ru) (osóznannyj), взве́шенный (ru) (vzvéšennyj)
• Spanish: prudente (es)

not hasty or sudden

• Bulgarian: обми́слен (bg) (obmíslen)
• Czech: neuspěchaný m, rozvážný m
• Danish: langsom (da), sindig, rolig (da)
• Finnish: verkkainen (fi), harkittu (fi)
• French: délibéré (fr)
• German: bedacht (de), bedachtsam, vorsichtig (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 慎重 (ja) (しんちょう, shinchō)
• Maori: mauritau
• Norman: délibéthé
• Portuguese: calculado
• Russian: неспе́шный (ru) (nespéšnyj), разме́ренный (ru) (razmérennyj), осо́знанный (ru) (osóznannyj)

Verb

1. (transitive) To consider carefully; to weigh well in the mind.

   It is now time for the jury to deliberate the guilt of the defendant.

2. (intransitive) To consider the reasons for and against anything; to reflect.

Translations

consider carefully

• Arabic: اِئْتَمَرَ (ar) (iʔtamara)
• Bulgarian: обмислям (bg) (obmisljam)
• Czech: zvažovat
• Danish: overveje
• Dutch: beraadslagen (nl), overwegen (nl), doordenken (nl)
• Finnish: harkita (fi), puntaroida (fi), pohtia (fi)
• French: délibérer (fr)
• Galician: deliberar (gl)
• German: erwägen (de), beraten (de), abwägen (de), überlegen (de)
• Hungarian: megfontol (hu)
• Japanese: 熟慮する (jukuryosuru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: dēlīberō
• Maori: whakaraupeka, whakaraupeka, whakarau kakai, ngārehu, ngārahu, kohuki
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: overveie, overlegge, drøfte (no)

• Portuguese: deliberar (pt)
• Romanian: delibera (ro), consfătui (ro)
• Russian: обду́мывать (ru) (obdúmyvatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: meòraich
• Spanish: deliberar (es)
• Swedish: överlägga (sv), rådslå (sv)

Related terms

• deliberation
• deliberative

Further reading

• “deliberate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “deliberate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “deliberate”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

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Italian

Verb

deliberate

1. second-person plural present and imperative of deliberare

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Latin

Verb

(deprecated template usage) dēlīberāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of dēlīberō

References

• deliberate in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)