Standard Lemma guide

premeditation

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: P R IY0 M EH2 D AH0 T EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of planning or plotting something in advance, especially a crime.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: malice aforethought

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

(law) thought and intention to commit a crime well in advance of the crime; goes to show criminal intent

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mens rea, malice aforethought

3

noun

Meaning 3

planning or plotting in advance of acting

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: forethought

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: planning, preparation, provision

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin praemeditātiō.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سبق الإصرار والترصّد — the act of planning or plotting
  • Belarusian: наўмы́снасць (nawmýsnascʹ) — the act of planning or plotting
  • Danish: forsæt — the act of planning or plotting
  • Dutch: beraming — the act of planning or plotting
  • Dutch: opzet — the act of planning or plotting
  • Dutch: voorbedachte raad — the act of planning or plotting
  • Dutch: voorbedachtheid — the act of planning or plotting
  • Finnish: harkinta — the act of planning or plotting
  • Finnish: vakaa harkinta — the act of planning or plotting
  • French: préméditation — the act of planning or plotting
  • German: Vorsatz — the act of planning or plotting
  • German: Vorbedacht — the act of planning or plotting
  • German: Vorsätzlichkeit — the act of planning or plotting
  • Italian: premeditazione — the act of planning or plotting
  • Polish: premedytacja — the act of planning or plotting
  • Russian: предумы́шленность (predumýšlennostʹ) — the act of planning or plotting
  • Russian: преднаме́ренность (prednamérennostʹ) — the act of planning or plotting
  • Spanish: alevosía — the act of planning or plotting
  • Spanish: premeditación — the act of planning or plotting
  • Ukrainian: навми́сність (navmýsnistʹ) — the act of planning or plotting
  • Ukrainian: уми́сність (umýsnistʹ) — the act of planning or plotting