French word

délibérément

Pronunciation

IPA/delibeʁemɑ̃/

Meaning

  • adverbon purpose

Example

Il a délibérément cassé le vase.

He broke the vase on purpose.

Illustration for délibérément (on purpose)

More examples

Elle a délibérément ignoré mon message.

She deliberately ignored my message.

Core concept

A conscious hand chooses an action instead of allowing it to happen by chance.

Common phrases

  • agir délibérément

    act deliberately

  • ignorer délibérément

    deliberately ignore

  • casser délibérément

    deliberately break

Similar words

intentionnellement: Carried out with a purpose planned beforehand.
volontairement: Carried out of one's own free will.
exprès: Carried out deliberately so another person understands the intent.
sciemment: Carried out with knowledge of the situation and its possible outcome.

Definition in French

Indique qu'une action a été faite exprès, par volonté réfléchie et non par accident.

Word origin

French délibérément comes from délibéré with -ment, while délibéré derives from Latin deliberatus, the past participle of deliberare, 'to weigh carefully'.

Usage tips

  • Délibérément often highlights conscious intent and can sound more formal or accusatory than the common adverb exprès.

Opposites

  • accidentellementaccidentallyadverb
  • involontairementunintentionallyadverb

Related words

Word lists with this word