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

Like the devastating Maui wildfires in 2023 and Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, conspiracy theorists claimed the Los Angeles fires had been deliberately set by the government. —Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025

Yet both won Oliviers, and so did the deliberately alienating productions, designed in the Brechtian manner to keep you at an emotional distance. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025

Instead of focusing solely on customer feedback, consider creating alternative products that could (deliberately) alienate current customers but attract new ones. —Ioana Dragomir, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025

None of this has been easy for Lee, who launched her label in 2014 and has been building it slowly and deliberately. —Samantha Conti, WWD, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above