deliberative

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adjective

That deliberates, considers carefully.

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Less commonScrabble 18

Meanings

adjectivedeliberative (comparative more deliberative, superlative most deliberative)

comparative more deliberative · superlative most deliberative

  1. That deliberates, considers carefully.

    A good system would have been a consummate work of deliberative wisdom

    1854, George Bancroft, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent, volume VI (The American Revolution. Epoch Second. […]), Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC, page 74
    2 more examples

    [T]he court of jurisdiction is to be distinguished from the deliberative body, the advisers of the crown.

    1827, Henry Hallam, The Constitutional History of England from the Accession of Henry VII. to the Death of George II. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 53

    Libertarian paternalism is the view that, because the way options are presented to citizens affects what they choose, society should present options in a way that “nudges” our intuitive selves to make choices that are more consistent with what our more deliberative selves would have chosen if they were in control.

    2012 January 28, Steven Sloman, “The Battle Between Intuition and Deliberation”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2012, page 74
noundeliberative (plural deliberatives)

plural deliberatives

  1. A discourse in which a question is discussed, or weighed and examined.

    A conclusion in a deliberative

    1605, Francis Bacon, “(please specify |book=1 or 2)”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for Henrie Tomes, […], →OCLC
  2. A kind of rhetoric employed in proving a thing and convincing others of its truth, in order to persuade them to adopt it.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveinvolved in or characterized by deliberation and discussion and examination

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latindeliberativus
  2. Middle Frenchdélibératif
  3. Englishdeliberative

From Middle French délibératif, from Latin deliberativus.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

deliberative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deliberative

MLA

“deliberative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deliberative. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deliberative,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deliberative.

Source: deliberative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.