deliberation
Americannoun
-
careful consideration before decision.
- Synonyms:
- forethought, reflection
-
formal consultation or discussion.
-
deliberate quality; leisureliness of movement or action; slowness.
noun
-
thoughtful, careful, or lengthy consideration
-
(often plural) formal discussion and debate, as of a committee, jury, etc
-
care, thoughtfulness, or absence of hurry, esp in movement or speech
Other Word Forms
- nondeliberation noun
- overdeliberation noun
- predeliberation noun
- redeliberation noun
Etymology
Origin of deliberation
1325–75; Middle English deliberacion < Latin dēlīberātiōn- (stem of dēlīberātiō ), equivalent to dēlīberāt ( us ) ( deliberate ) + -iōn- -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This matter calls for sober deliberation with a minimum of partisanship and recrimination.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
The justices, in other words, will decide this case the proper way—with full briefing, oral arguments, deliberation, and an opinion—rather than over the shadow docket, with little or no explanation.
From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026
A businessman from Felixstowe was initially tried for her murder in 2001, but he was later found not guilty, after just 90 minutes of deliberation, by a jury at Norwich Crown Court.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
The specific details are expected to be posted for school board deliberation in February.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2026
“After careful deliberation, it is my opinion that desegregation is an idea whose hour has arrived,” said Benjamin Lee Smith, the superintendent of the Greensboro public school system.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
