aforethought

adjective

afore·​thought ə-ˈfȯr-ˌthȯt 

: previously in mind : premeditated, deliberate

—used postpositively

Yes, you can wear shorts in the workplace but not without some consideration aforethought. You may ultimately be exposing more than just your knees.

—Vanessa Friedman

Anyone who drinks while expecting to drive later is, with indifference aforethought, risking the lives and safety of everyone on the road …

—The Buffalo (New York) News

see also malice aforethought

aforethought noun

… they reached a verdict … finding that he was responsible for the deaths but lacked "aforethought" and intent.

—Ryan P. Cruz and Rodrigo Hernandez

Examples of aforethought in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Páez was also convicted of two counts of aggravated homicide, qualified by intent and malice aforethought. —Greg Wehner, Fox News, 25 Feb. 2023

Depraved-indifference murder is not supposed to be a sleight-of-hand that elevates manslaughter to murder, or that effectively turns an unintentional killing into an intentional murder by substituting depraved indifference for malice aforethought. —Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 7 Mar. 2021

Had Styles — either completely by accident or with malice aforethought — unleashed a mouthful of spit upon his elder co-star? —Vulture, 7 Sep. 2022

The leak of a draft majority opinion from the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade is an unprecedented breach of trust, and one that must be assumed was done with malice aforethought. —The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 May 2022

The media have medical specialists on call who will quickly second guess every non-disclosure, often with political malice aforethought. —The Editorial Board, WSJ, 4 Oct. 2020

In December, Newman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with malice aforethought. —Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE.com, 9 July 2020

Armando Iannucci’s absurdist comedy reveals this in an extremely loose manner of speaking, with malice aforethought, straight-faced glee and formidable sharpshooting that occasionally misfires. —Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2018

Word History

Etymology

afore + thought, past participle of think entry 1, probably as Anglicization of prepense

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing aforethought

• malice aforethought
• with malice aforethought

Kids Definition

aforethought

adjective

afore·​thought -ˌthȯt 

: thought of or planned beforehand : premeditated

with malice aforethought

Legal Definition

aforethought

adjective

afore·​thought ə-ˈfōr-ˌthȯt 

: previously in mind : premeditated