Meaning & use
considered
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Reached or expressed after careful thought, and therefore not hasty or casual.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a considered response, not a rushed one.
Patterns
- a considered opinion
- a considered decision
After a long meeting, the committee gave a considered reply.
It is my considered view that the plan will fail.
She made a considered choice to move abroad, not an impulsive one.
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of consider: thought about something, or regarded someone or something in a particular way.
Grammar: Takes an object, and can be followed by as or an adjective: they considered him honest.
Patterns
- considered something to be something
- considered doing something
He considered the offer for a week before accepting.
The old bridge was considered unsafe, so it was closed.
They had considered selling the house but decided to stay.
Word forms
| base form | consider |
|---|---|
| third person singular | considers |
| present participle | considering |
| past tense and past participle | considered |
Common combinations
- considered opinion
- In my considered opinion, we should wait another month.
- considered response
- The minister offered a calm, considered response.
- well considered
- Her proposal was well considered and clearly argued.
- carefully considered
- This was a carefully considered decision, not a whim.
- all things considered
- All things considered, the trip went very well.
Synonyms and how they differ
- deliberate
- Deliberate stresses doing something on purpose, whereas considered stresses that thought went into the result.
- thoughtful
- Thoughtful can describe a person or a kind act, while considered mostly describes opinions and choices.
- measured
- Measured suggests calm restraint in tone, but considered suggests careful reasoning behind the content.
- reasoned
- Reasoned focuses on logical argument, while considered only needs that time and care were taken.
Opposites
Word family
- consider verb
- to think about carefully
- consideration noun
- careful thought or a factor to weigh
- considerable adjective
- fairly large
- reconsider verb
- to think again about a decision
Commonly confused: considered or considerate?
considered vs considerate
Considerate means kind to others, while considered means thought through carefully. A considered remark is not necessarily a kind one.
Practice
Which sentence uses considered as an adjective meaning carefully thought out?
Choose one answer.
Only option three has considered before a noun (answer) describing it. The others use considered as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “considered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.