considerate

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin cōnsīderātus (“thought out, careful; deliberate, circumspect”),^[2][3][4][5] the past participle, used as an adjective, of cōnsīderō (“to look at closely, observe, examine”),^[2][3][6] the source of consider.^[3][4] The Latin verb is usually taken as formed from com- (“with, together”) and sīdus (“star, constellation”), originally "to observe the stars",^[3][7] but Etymonline notes that de Vaan weighs other etymologies without endorsing any.^[3] A Middle English participle considerat (“observed, noted”) is recorded before 1475,^[8][9] and Dictionary.com dates this earlier sense to 1375–1425,^[10] but the modern word is a 16th-century borrowing.^[2][10][4] The Shorter Oxford notes that inconsiderate is recorded earlier.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Subject to or marked by careful thought; carefully considered: 1533, in T. More's Second Part of the Confutation of Tyndale's Answer.^[2] Merriam-Webster Unabridged dates the word to 1572,^[5] and Etymonline to the 1570s, in the sense "marked by deliberation".^[3]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century the word described things that were carefully thought out (1533) and people who reflected carefully, who were deliberate and prudent (1562).^[2][3] From 1568 it also meant mindful or heedful of something, usually with of,^[2] and this led to the main modern sense, "thoughtful for the feelings and well-being of others".^[2][4] The OED's first example of that sense is from 1607,^[2] but Etymonline dates it to about 1700^[3] and the Shorter Oxford to the early 18th century.^[4] Johnson (1755) still gave "serious; given to consideration; prudent" first, then "having respect to; regardful" and "moderate; not rigorous", quoting Shakespeare's Richard III for the first.^[11] The old sense "carefully considered" is now chiefly South Asian, according to the OED,^[2] and Collins labels it rare.^[12] In 1592 the word briefly meant "held in regard, esteemed".^[2]

Timeline

• before 1475 – Middle English participle, observed or noted.^[8]
• 1533 – carefully thought out; considered.^[2]
• 1562 – of a person, given to careful thought; deliberate.^[2][3]
• 1568 – mindful or heedful of something.^[2]
• 1592 – held in regard, esteemed (now obsolete).^[2]
• 1607 – thoughtful for the well-being and feelings of others.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Thoughtful of the rights, needs and feelings of others; kind: It was considerate of you to call ahead.^[12][5][2]
2. Mindful or heedful of something; usually followed by of.^[2][11]
3. (archaic) Marked by careful thought; deliberate, prudent, circumspect.^[4][5][12]

Word family

• considerately
• considerateness
• overconsiderate

Related words

• consider
• consideration
• inconsiderate
• sidereal
• desire

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ a b Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
10. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
11. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
12. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins