deliberate¹

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /dɪˈlɪb.ɚ.ət/ UK /dɪˈlɪb.(ə.)ɹət/ See IPA manual

adj

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Homographs: deliberate² /dɪˈlɪb.ə.ɹeɪt/ — verb

Pronunciation and word origins: Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Freq #10839

Meanings

1

adj
Done on purpose, not by accident.

The fire was no accident; it was a deliberate act.
2

adj
Slow and careful, done after thinking carefully.

He spoke in a slow, deliberate voice.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · done on purpose, not by... intentional conscious purposeful voluntary

2 adj · slow and careful, done... careful measured

Word family

Forms deliberateddeliberatenessdeliberatesdeliberating

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

deliberate act
an action done intentionally, not by accident

Adjective + noun

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English deliberat(e), borrowed from Latin dēlīberātus, perfect passive participle of dēlīberō (“to consider, weigh well”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from dē- + *līberō / lībrō (“to weigh”)), from *libera / libra (“a balance”); see librate. Doublet of deliber.

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

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