deliberately

adverb

de·​lib·​er·​ate·​ly di-ˈli-bə-rət-lē 

-ˈlib-rət-

: in a deliberate manner: such as

a

: with full awareness of what one is doing : in a way that is intended or planned

trying deliberately to mislead us

a deliberately harsh review

It's very clear, however, that organizations funded in part by the fossil fuel industry have deliberately tried to undermine the public's understanding of the scientific consensus by promoting a few skeptics.

—Joel Achenbach

b

: in a way that is not hurried : slowly and carefully

speaking clearly and deliberately

He moves deliberately, almost cautiously, and he speaks with the assurance of someone who is accustomed to being listened to.

—Alec Wilkinson

Synonyms

• advisedly
• consciously
• designedly
• intentionally
• knowingly
• purposefully
• purposely
• purposively
• willfully
• wittingly

Examples of deliberately in a Sentence

deliberately chose to break the rules

Recent Examples on the Web

Prosecutors say Read deliberately hit O’Keefe, 46, outside the home a fellow cop and left him for dead in a drunken rage. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 14 May 2025

Many couples had deliberately filed taxes separately for years to avoid having a higher combined income drive up their monthly student loan payments. —Shahar Ziv, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025

The war in Gaza has been the deadliest conflict for journalists in recent history, with some estimating more than 200 reporters killed — many of whom were deliberately targeted by Israel — since October 2023. —Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 13 May 2025

When Jackson walked off the pitch and down the tunnel, Chelsea’s head coach appeared deliberately to ignore him. —Simon Johnson, New York Times, 12 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above