Deem
verbBase deem · Past deemed · Past Participle deemed · Present Participle deeming · 3rd person deems
Definition
1. (verb) To officially or formally consider something to be a particular thing — used especially in legal, professional, or institutional contexts.
2. (verb) To think or judge something to be the case — used in formal writing or speech to express a considered opinion or verdict.
2. (verb) To think or judge something to be the case — used in formal writing or speech to express a considered opinion or verdict.
Context Alive
You're filling out a visa application and one section says that any missing documents will be requested if deemed necessary by the reviewing officer. You're not sure what that means exactly — necessary by whose standard? You decide to include every document you have, just to be safe.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 To Officially Consider Something to Be (Verb) Common ▼
This meaning is about a formal or official judgment that something falls into a particular category. Imagine a company's HR policy stating that certain behaviour in the workplace will be deemed gross misconduct — this means that if someone does it, they will officially be treated as if they committed a serious offence, regardless of intent. This is describing a decision made by an authority that gives something a formal status. You might read "the building was deemed unsafe" when an inspector officially decided it posed a risk, or someone could write "the application was deemed incomplete" when an office formally rejected it for missing information. Or think about a court ruling where a contract is deemed invalid because it was signed under pressure — the judge isn't just saying it's probably invalid, they're making it official. The word signals that a formal verdict has been reached.
✏️ Deemed (past participle) is far more common than the base form — you'll see it constantly in passive constructions: "was deemed", "is deemed", "if deemed." This is the word legal documents, official reports, and formal policies reach for when they want to say "officially considered to be." In everyday conversation, people say "considered" or "judged" instead.
2 To Think or Judge Something to Be the Case (Verb) Common ▼
This meaning is about expressing a considered opinion or judgment in a formal way. Imagine a senior editor writing that a submitted manuscript was not deemed suitable for publication — they're not saying it's bad necessarily, just that in their judgment it doesn't meet the standard required. This is describing a personal or institutional opinion presented with authority and formality. You might see "the committee deemed the proposal acceptable" in meeting minutes to record their collective judgment, or someone could write "I didn't deem it necessary to inform them" to formally explain a decision not to act. Or think about a teacher who deems a student ready to move up a level — it's a judgment call, but stated with authority. The word gives the speaker's view the weight of a considered, deliberate decision.
✏️ The pattern deem it + adjective is very common in formal writing: "I deemed it appropriate to respond," "they deemed it unnecessary to investigate further." You can also use deem + object + adjective: "she deemed the report satisfactory." Both patterns are formal — use "think" or "consider" in everyday speech.
Common Patterns
Basic Structures
be deemed + adjective → passive — something is officially considered to have a particular quality
The structure was deemed unsafe and closed to the public immediately.
deem it + adjective (+ to do) → to judge it to be appropriate, necessary, or right to do something
The manager didn't deem it necessary to hold a full investigation.
if deemed + adjective → a conditional — used in policies or procedures to say what happens under certain judgments
Further testing will be carried out if deemed appropriate by the medical team.
Common Structures
deem + object + adjective → to officially consider something or someone to have a particular quality
The court deemed the evidence insufficient to support a conviction.
deemed to be + noun/adjective → formal version of 'considered to be' — often used in legal or official language
Any item not listed will be deemed to be excluded from the agreement.
as deemed + adjective (by) → used to attribute the judgment to a specific authority
Work will continue as deemed appropriate by the project lead.
Collocations
10 collocationsdeemed necessary
officially judged to be needed in a particular situation
deemed appropriate
formally considered suitable or right for the circumstances
deemed unfit
officially judged to be not suitable or not capable
deemed acceptable
formally considered to meet the required standard
deemed unsafe
officially judged to pose a risk to people's safety
deemed sufficient
considered to be enough for the purpose required
deemed guilty / innocent
officially judged by a court or authority to be guilty or innocent
if deemed necessary
used in policies to describe actions that happen only when officially required
deem it necessary
to judge that something needs to be done
deemed redundant
officially judged to be no longer needed — often used in employment contexts
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
The building was deemed unsafe after the inspection and was closed immediately.
Inspectors officially judged the structure to be dangerous and shut it down on the spot.
2
The committee deemed the proposal acceptable and approved it without major changes.
The committee decided the proposal met the required standard and passed it with only minor adjustments.
3
She didn't deem it necessary to explain her decision to the rest of the team.
She didn't think it was required to give the team any reasons for what she had decided.
4
Any clause not included in the contract will be deemed to be excluded from the agreement.
If something is not written into the contract, it will be treated as if it was never part of the deal.
5
The athlete was deemed unfit to compete and was withdrawn from the event.
Officials judged that the athlete was not in a condition to take part and removed them from the competition.
6
Further action will be taken if deemed appropriate by the investigating officer.
The investigating officer will decide whether the situation warrants any additional steps.
7
The judge deemed the evidence insufficient to support a conviction.
The judge decided the evidence was not strong enough to find the defendant guilty.
8
His behaviour was deemed a violation of company policy and he was suspended.
The company officially concluded that what he did broke their rules and placed him on suspension.
9
The document will be deemed valid only if signed by both parties.
The document will only be considered legally binding once both sides have signed it.
10
I deemed it wise to stay quiet rather than argue with him in front of the clients.
I judged it was better to say nothing than to get into an argument while the clients were watching.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsconsider
the everyday equivalent — same meaning but used in all registers, not just formal
judge
similar but often implies evaluation against a standard — slightly more active than deem
regard
to think of something in a particular way — less authoritative than deem
Antonymsdisregard
to ignore or dismiss something — the opposite of formally recognising its status
overlook
to fail to notice or consider something — accidental rather than deliberate
reject
to officially refuse or not accept — the opposite verdict to deeming something acceptable