Other forms: deliberated, deliberating
Deliberate means done on purpose, by someone who knew exactly what they were doing. A deliberate foul, a deliberate lie, a door left unlocked on purpose.
Watch the second meaning: deliberate movements are slow and careful, so a deliberate walk to the front of a room is unhurried rather than sneaky. It is a verb as well, and then the ending changes sound — de-LIB-er-uht for the adjective, de-LIB-er-ate for the verb — where to deliberate is to think or argue a thing through before deciding, which is what a jury does. Deliberately is the everyday adverb and it carries blame: he did it deliberately means somebody meant it. Deliberation is the noun for the thinking; accidental is the opposite of the adjective.
1adjectiveadjDone on purpose, with full intention.
“The damage was deliberate, not the work of the storm.”
synonyms: intentional, calculated
2adjectiveslowSlow and careful, as though each move has been thought about.
“He crossed the room with slow, deliberate steps.”
3verbthinkTo think or discuss something carefully before deciding.
“The jury deliberated for two days.”
Also accepted in games: intentional
Deliberate is a weighing word. It came through Middle English deliberat from Latin deliberatus, from deliberare, to consider or weigh well, which is de- plus librare, to weigh, from libra, a balance. Choosing on purpose is putting the choice on the scales and watching which way it tips.
Latin
dēlīberātus
Middle English
deliberat
English, today
deliberate
Built from
Middle English deliberat, Latin dēlīberātus, perfect passive participle of dēlīberō (“to consider, weigh well”) (see -ate and -ate), from dē- + līberō / lībrō (“to weigh”)), from libera / libra (“a balance”); see librate. a doublet of deliber.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA