deliberate
de·lib·er·ate/dɪˈlɪb.ɚ.ət/adjective, verb
deliberate is spelled D-E-L-I-B-E-R-A-T-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables (de·lib·er·ate). It appears 6.6 times per million words in written English, the 9,313th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, deliberate means “Done on purpose; intentional” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in deliberate?
| Letters | 10: D-E-L-I-B-E-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: de·lib·er·ate |
| In writing | 6.6 times per million words; the 9,313th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is deliberate?
Deliberate appears 6.6 times per million words in written English, the 9,313th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce deliberate?
- UK /dɪˈlɪb.(ə.)ɹət/
- US /dɪˈlɪb.ɚ.ət/
- US /dɪˈlɪb.(ə.)ɹət/
Deliberate has 4 syllables, split de·lib·er·ate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-deliberate-adj.ogg, En-us-deliberate-verb.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of deliberate
- more deliberate comparative
- most deliberate superlative
- deliberates present, singular, he/she/it
- deliberating participle, present
- deliberated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deliberate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Done on purpose; intentional.
a deliberate attempt to cover up his crime
- 2
Formed with deliberation; carefully considered; not sudden or rash.
a deliberate opinion; a deliberate measure or result
- 3
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.
- 4
Not hasty or sudden; slow.
verb
- 1
To consider carefully; to weigh well in the mind.
It is now time for the jury to deliberate the guilt of the defendant.
- 2
To consider the reasons for and against anything; to reflect.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deliberate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | délibéré , concerté , délibérer |
| German | absichtlich, bewusst, vorsätzlich , erwägen , wohlerwogen, wohlüberlegt |
| Portuguese | intencional, proposital, de propósito, deliberado , deliberar |
| Spanish | deliberado , prudente , deliberar, reflexionar, elucubrar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does deliberate come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).