- de|lib´er|ate|ness
- de|lib|er|ate «adjective. dih LIHB uhr iht, -LIHB riht; verb. dih LIHB uh rayt», adjective, verb, -at|ed, -at|ing.–adj.1. done on purpose; intended; thought over beforehand: »
His rude answer was a deliberate attempt to provoke her. They were the first great social thinkers of their century to try to make themselves, by deliberate discipline, both classless and international (Edmund Wilson).
2. slow and careful in deciding what to do: »A deliberate person takes enough time to make up his mind.
SYNONYM(S): thoughtful, cautious, circumspect.3. slow; not hurried: »The old man walked with deliberate steps.
SYNONYM(S): See syn. under slow. (Cf. ↑slow)–v.i., v.t.1. to think over carefully; consider: »He was slow to answer, deliberating over each question. I am deliberating where to put up my new picture. The woman who deliberates is lost (Joseph Addison).
2. to talk over reasons for and against something; discuss; debate: »Congress deliberated the question of raising taxes.
╂[< Latin dēlīberātus, past participle of dēlīberāre to deliberate < dē- + lībrāre weigh < lībra a pound, scale. Compare etym. under deliver. (Cf. ↑deliver)]–de|lib´er|ate|ness, noun.Synonym Study adjective. 1 Deliberate, intentional mean done on purpose. Deliberate suggests that what it describes was thought over in advance and done with a clear idea of what one is doing: »His attempt to deceive the customs authorities was deliberate. The actor delivered his lines with deliberate emphasis. The lawyer made a deliberate attempt to confuse the jury.
Intentional emphasizes the idea of a purpose, and means done with a definite end in mind: »His unkind remark was intentional; he wanted to make you angry.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.
